All posts tagged House

Lisa Edelstein — whose long-term contract expires this month — has opted not to return for the show’s eighth and likely final season.

In a statement, the actress says, “After much consideration, I am moving onward with a combination of disappointment at leaving behind a character I have loved playing for seven years and excitement of the new opportunities in acting and producing that lie ahead.”

Fox and NBC Universal declined to comment.

Back in March — when the future of House itself was up in the air — Edelstein told TVLine, “Nobody at work seems to think it won’t [return]. Everybody wants to come to a deal, and I certainly am looking forward to a Season 8.”

In an interview last week with BlogCritics.org, exec producer Katie Jacobs said she would “not rest” until Edelstein was on board for an eighth season. “Lisa is such a valuable member [of the cast],” she said. “I challenge any other actress on TV to do what she does seemingly effortlessly. She goes between drama, comedy, intelligence, sex appeal… It’s certainly not my plan or David’s plan or the creative team’s plan to not have Lisa in the show.”

There’s talk Edelstein was a victim of belt-tightening at the show. In the aforementioned interview, Jacobs acknowledged that, “For seven seasons we managed to avoid getting the phone call to make cuts in our budget. But now we’re getting that call.” Perhaps she rejected a low-ball offer — hence her disappointment?

Earlier this month, Edelstein’s costars Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps inked new deals to return to the show. Hugh Laurie, Olivia Wilde and Peter Jacobson were already contracted for the recrently-greenlit Season 8, leaving Jesse Spencer as the only remaining question mark.

The news comes a week before the show’s current season — arguably Edelstein’s meatiest yet — comes to a close. It’s unclear if the finale sets the stage for a possible Cuddy departure, but that seems highly unlikely.

A crane collapse leaves House and Cuddy struggling to see eye-to-eye on how to proceed with a victim trapped under the wreckage. As the two continue to disagree, Cuddy reaches her breaking point and tells House what she really thinks of him.

House Must Handle a Crane Collapse … And Cuddy’s Big NewsThis week’s Season 6 finale episode opens with a montage of a bloody and battered House surrounded by shards of glass and a very quick flash of some prescription pill bottles. From there we flash back eight hours to find House entering Cuddy’s office as she’s putting on a jumpsuit and heading out a disaster in Trenton, N.J., caused by a crane collapse.

House, who could care less, hands Cuddy a gift — the book her great grandfather wrote that House made Alvie steal last episode. Cuddy is surprised that House would give her such a thoughtful gift, as she is about House’s inscription on front the page that says, “To Lisa and Lucas, Here’s to a new chapter. Best, Greg” Looks like someone’s trying to be the bigger man about the two moving in together. But of course, the hesitation in Cuddy response leads House to believe there’s trouble in paradise.

Cuddy demands that House hop on his motorcycle and help tend to the victims of the crane collapse. But when he arrives, House seems to be focused on the driver of the crane because he is convinced he passed out on the job (as opposed to fell asleep). Cuddy quickly slams the idea of House running back to the hospital to treat the man, who is stable, when there are dozens of victims who are not. House begrudgingly stays and has his team deal with the operator, but when he goes to take a break, he hears a noise and thinks someone is trapped under a mound of concrete and rubble. The rescue workers check out the situation, but determine no one is there. House, being, well, House, refuses to listen to them and crawls under the rubble to get a look for himself. After jolting horror-movie moment when a hand shoots out of the dark and grabs House’s cane, we learn a woman, Hannah, is in fact trapped under the collapsed concrete.

House’s World Crumbles As the rescue workers try to free the woman, House presses Cuddy to find out if she and Lucas are having issues. But House’s world is rocked when she tells him the only reason she hesitated when he gave her the gift was because she and Lucas got engaged the night before. After a moment where House refuses to believe they are happily engaged, House and Cuddy are called back in to see Hannah. The rescue workers say she can’t be freed without risking more of a collapse, and therefore amputation is necessary.

Cuddy tries to explain to Hannah that the longer her leg is pinned, the higher the risk of complications from crush syndrome, but House bitterly cuts her off and tells Hannah no one is going to cut her leg off because the rescue workers will have to try harder to figure out how to safely free her. Clearly, there’s some pent-up aggression there toward Cuddy in light of her pending nuptials. Hannah obviously likes House’s anti-amputation stance more, so the rescue team continues their efforts.

Back at the hospital, the team is trying to get to the bottom of the crane operator’s symptoms, and Thirteen shows up late with the excuse that she was at physical therapy. Neither Taub nor I, am buying it. When Taub catches her leaving a note on House’s desk later on asking for time off, it’s pretty clear that Taub and I are extremely sharp people.

House tries to return to his team and the crane operator, but Cuddy runs over and tells him Hannah is having a panic attack and only House can calm her down. House turns off his motorcycle and heads back to help. He and Hannah get in a deep conversation as they begin to talk about God and how she thought only good things happen to good people. House tells her he tried to be one of those good people and isn’t so sure that’s how things work.

House Experiences a Different Kind of Light Bulb MomentThe rescue workers try a new tactic to remove Hannah, but their attempt results in a huge collapse under the rubble. House and the rescue worker are OK, but Hannah’s lung collapses. When they finally get her stabilized, Cuddy tries to tell House that the only option to save her is amputation. “Really, because I think I’m the only one here who knows what a leg is worth,” House barks. Cuddy then tells House not to put Hannah’s life at stake just to get back at her, and that’s when things between the two really get heated. House calls her a pathetic narcissist, amongst other things, and Cuddy goes for the low blow with, “I don’t love you.” But Cuddy finally reaches her breaking point when she tells House she’s done with him. “I’m moving on, Wilson’s moving on, and you? You’ve got nothing.” Ouch.

As Cuddy goes on her own to try to rationalize a leg amputation with Hannah, House, having really heard Cuddy’s words, joins them and tells Hannah the story about his bum leg. He recounts how he had a blood clot and the doctors wanted to amputate, but he instead opted for a risky operation in which he almost died. He tells her that even though they saved his leg after cutting out a big chunk of muscle, he wishes they hadn’t because he’s now in pain everyday. “It changed me. Made me a harder person — a worse person. Now I’m all alone. You don’t want to be like me,” House says. Hannah finally agrees and House takes her hand in a truly touching moment before performing the amputation.

House’s Downward Spiral Comes to a HeadFollowing the removal of Hannah’s leg (which was not shown but still managed to make my stomach turn from the sawing noise and screaming), House jumps in the ambulance with her without saying a word to Cuddy. But on the way, Hannah can’t breathe and House thinks it’s a clot in her lung that happened because he “waited too long.” Unfortunately, House is wrong. It’s a fat embolism from the amputation, and there’s nothing that can be done. He and Hannah just look at each other, almost as though he’s apologizing. They arrive at the hospital and as the House’s team arrives to help, they find Hannah is dead.

Foreman tries to console the visibly despondent House by telling him there’s no way to prevent a fat embolism. “That’s the point. I did everything right; she died any way,” House screams at Foreman. (Kind of like how he’s been doing everything Dr. Nolan has been telling him to do and he’s still miserable and alone?) Foreman tells him he shouldn’t be alone in this state of mind and House tells him, “as and employee,” to get out of his way.

As House returns to his apartment, we finally catch up with the first scene of the episode. House looks at himself in the bathroom mirror, thinks of Hannah in her final moments, rips the mirror off the wall, and tosses it aside to reveal a hole in the wall containing two bottles of persecription medication.

Just as House is about to take the drugs, in walks Cuddy, still in her scrubs. House asks if she’s there to stop him from popping the pills, and she says it’s up to him if he wants to go back on drugs. House still doesn’t understand why she’s there, and then she mentions Lucas. House assumes the conversation is about to take a turn for the worst, but Cuddy cuts him off and says she called things off with Lucas. Why? “All I could think about is you,” Cuddy says, adding that she was stuck in that relationship.

“I’m the most screwed up person in the world,” House sadly replies.

“I know, and I love you. I wish I didn’t, but I can’t help it,” Cuddy says. House gets up from the bathroom floor and the two finally kiss.

And for those of you who thought House was having another hallucination (like I did), the writers went out of their way to add a telling tidbit of dialogue. House asks how he can be sure he’s not hallucinating the whole thing. “Did you take the pills?” Cuddy asks. House looks down at his hand to see the Vicodin still there. He drops them to the ground and embraces Cuddy’s hand as the two continue their passionate kiss. Finally!

All I know is I better not tune in to the Season 7 premiere to find out it was all some dream/hallucination/vision or any other cop-out. My emotions can be toyed with only so much.

What did you think of the season finale? Who’s happy Huddy is finally official? What do you think next season will be like now that the two are an item? How do you think House will be with Cuddy’s baby? And by the way, what’s the deal with Thirteen?

As I teased previously, with Olivia Wilde off House for a while shooting Cowboys & Aliens, the Fox hit will be temporarily adding a new female doc to the roster at Princeton Plainsboro. And now I can tell you who she is: Amber Tamblyn!

The erstwhile Joan of Arcadia, I’m told, will appear in multiple episodes as a whip-smart med student House (Hugh Laurie) recruits for his diagnostic team — despite the fact that she isn’t yet 100 percent qualified to treat patients. And, of course, what I didn’t have to be told was that the youngster will have to find a way to adjust to her new mentor’s unique bedside manner.

So what do you think? I’m pretty much sold on this casting. Although I do kinda wish the Emmy nominee was coming on board for more than a few episodes…

SPOILER ALERT:If you have yet to watch tonight’s House finale, stop reading now. I repeat, if you have yet to watch tonight’s House finale, stop reading now. For the last time, if you have yet to watch tonight’s House finale, stop reading now. Everyone else, onward and downward…

Fi. Na. Lly. House went there. When last night’s season finale ended in a Huddy liplock — a real one this time, it bears mentioning! — it seemed as though Dr. Crankypants and Cuddy at last were going to give a relationship the ol’ college try. But looks, as we’ve learned the hard way, can be deceiving. Is the Fox hit just messing with our emotions again? To find out, I rang up exec producer Katie Jacobs, who wasn’t just forthcoming with the scoop, she was pretty free with the kinda scoop that’s all but guaranteed to blow your mind.

That was one hell of a final scene. What should we take away from it?
KATIE JACOBS: This is real and something that they are going to try. It’s something they stayed away from for a long period of time because it’s dangerous and the consequences could be severe. But now they’re going to give it a try.

They’re going to make a go of a relationship?
JACOBS: Absolutely. Yes.

What are we led to believe happened after the screen faded to black?
JACOBS: That’s exactly the conversation we had. Does the audience want us to pick up two or three months later? Or is the audience interested in us [picking up right where we left off]? And it’s really dependent on the narrative. Last year when House checked himself into the psychiatric hospital, I felt like it wouldn’t be good enough for the audience just to see him come out the other end and [return] to Princeton Plainsboro. Even though they knew he would [eventually] return there, I wanted everybody to see the moment after.

So which scenario will you choose this time around?
JACOBS: Put it this way… I’m certainly in the camp of not wanting to miss much after the fade to black. Because the truth is the challenges that are ahead for them are the things that kept them apart to begin with. It’s not chemistry or the spark. It’s “How are we going to deal with this? We’re going to be together. What does that look like?” Cuddy is his superior at the hospital. And she’s a mother. Those are the kind of things we’re going to have fun with.

I could be wrong but I think Huddy fans want to see a real, non-hallucinatory sex scene.
JACOBS: I get it. We’re in the process of figuring all that out right now, so I don’t have an answer. But this isn’t just about the [season premiere]. This isn’t something that will work or fail in just one episode. We’re going to attempt to make a true exploration of this relationship.

Were you on set when that last scene was shot?
JACOBS: Yes. It was amazing. Our prop guy, Eddie, had tears in his eyes. You never know how people are going to react to the story, but seeing Eddie with tears in his eyes and happy with the fact that House and Cuddy were finally going to give it a try was very satisfying.

Olivia Wilde to Take a Break from House

House – Olivia Wilde

Remember Thirteen’s mysterious request for time off on this week’s Housefinale? It makes a little more sense now.

Olivia Wilde will take a leave of absence from Season 7 of the Fox medical drama come fall because the actress is taking time off to star in the Jon Favreau directed film Cowboys & Aliens, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“Olivia will be there at the very beginning of the season, and then she will not be there for a period of time,” executive producer Katie Jacobs told the magazine.

Production on the sci-fi Western — which also stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Sam Rockwell — begins production next month and is expected to overlap with the new season of House by at least two months.

Mondays this May, hearts will be racing as lives hang in the balance in three all-new episodes of HOUSE and five final all-new hours of 24, including the momentous, adrenaline-charged two-hour series finale.

Monday, May 3

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “The Choice” – “FOX Rocks” Programming

The team takes on the case of an ailing groom-to-be (guest star Adam Garcia) with secrets from a previous relationship and a fiance (guest star Eva Amurri) with many questions. Meanwhile, during a raucous boys’ night out, House (Hugh Laurie), Chase (Jesse Spencer) and Foreman (Omar Epps) visit a karaoke bar and perform a Gladys Knight & The Pips classic.

24 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “11:00 AM-12:00 PM”

In its eighth and final season, the clock on the Emmy Award-winning series ticks toward its final five hours as Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) sets out to avenge the unthinkable events of this tragic day.

Monday, May 10

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Baggage”

A woman (guest star Zoe McLellan) arrives at the Princeton Plainsboro emergency room with an unexplained illness and no recollection of who she is. While trying to solve the mystery of the woman’s illness, House must also help her piece together her identity.

24 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “12:00 PM-1:00 PM”

With only four hours left, Jack stops at nothing to determine who is behind the day’s most devastating event and uncovers an unexpected lead.

Monday, May 17

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Help Me” – Season Finale

The sixth season finale takes the Princeton Plainsboro team outside the hospital as they join forces with a search-and-rescue team to provide medical attention at the scene of an emergency.

24 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “1:00 PM-2:00 PM”

As Jack’s final day nears a close, he endures intense international forces at play. Meanwhile, former President Logan (guest star Gregory Itzin) becomes increasingly involved.

Monday, May 24

24 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “2:00 PM-4:00 PM” – Series Finale

It’s the end of an era when the groundbreaking and iconic action-packed series comes full circle with the climactic two-hour series finale of “Day Eight.” Emotions run high as the harrowing day climaxes with resolute President Taylor (Cherry Jones) closing in on a world-changing objective and Jack forced to take matters into his own hands for one last and unforgettable job. Additionally, Eriq La Salle guest-stars.

TUESDAY

Audiences will be on their feet on music-filled Tuesday nights this May. America continues to vote for its next AMERICAN IDOL after four not-to-be-missed episodes, including Part 1 of the highly anticipated two-night season finale; plus, smash musical comedy hit GLEE serves up four all-new installments.

When a salacious list about members of the glee club circulates the halls of McKinley High, Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) begins an investigation. Meanwhile, Sue (Jane Lynch) is mortified when a video of her rendition of Olivia Newton-John’s classic “Physical” is unearthed. Special guest stars include Olivia Newton-John, Molly Shannon and Jonathan Groff.

Rachel (Lea Michele) panics when a sore throat affects her singing; Kurt (Chris Colfer) tries to change his persona to impress his father (guest star Mike O’Malley); and Puck (Mark Salling) makes a strategic move to elevate his social status.

On the first night of the two-night season finale, the remaining two finalists battle it out for the AMERICAN IDOL crown at NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in front of a live audience and millions of viewers watching at home. After the finalists perform, viewers will vote to decide who will be the next AMERICAN IDOL.

On Wednesday nights this May, FOX presents two encore installments of the hit series LIE TO ME; four live AMERICAN IDOL results shows, including the second night of the season finale that promises to be the biggest night of television this spring; and a special series preview of new action-comedy THE GOOD GUYS.

Wednesday, May 5

LIE TO ME (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Control Factor”

Marc Blucas guest-stars in an encore episode. While on vacation in Mexico, Lightman (Tim Roth) and Emily (Hayley McFarland) become involved in the case of a missing American woman. Back home, Foster (Kelli Williams) investigates tainted blood in D.C.-area hospitals with Lightman’s rival, Jack Rader (guest star Blucas).

This May, the AMERICAN IDOL live results shows counts down to the final two contestants. Each week, the finalist who receives the fewest votes will be eliminated from the race for the title. Tonight, the competition goes from the Top 5 to the Top 4.

Wednesday, May 12

LIE TO ME (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Tractor Man”

During a political protest in Washington, D.C., a disgruntled farmer (guest star Sean Bridgers) parks his explosives-packed tractor near the Treasury Department building, forcing Lightman and his team to make some crucial life-or-death decisions in an encore episode. Meanwhile, a third-grade field trip gets stuck in the Lightman Group offices, and Loker (Brendan Hines) has to play babysitter.

In another all-new LIVE results show, the finalist who receives the fewest votes will be eliminated from the race for the title, narrowing the competition from four to three contestants.

Wednesday, May 19

THE GOOD GUYS (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – Series Preview

In the special series preview of Matt Nix’s new action-comedy, THE GOOD GUYS, old-school cop Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford) and modern-day detective Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks) expose the big picture of small crime. Pursuing a routine investigation of a stolen humidifier, Jack and Dan are inadvertently thrust into a much larger case involving drug smugglers, hired assassins and a stolen green golf bag. Reminded of the way he busted punks back in the good old days, Dan convinces Jack to go along for the ride, and in their reckless pursuit of justice, the two wind up risking their lives, breaking a flurry of department regulations and reminding their boss, Lieutenant Ana Ruiz (Diana Maria Riva), and Jack’s ex-girlfriend, Assistant District Attorney Liz Traynor (Jenny Wade), why these good guys will be spending many more days investigating seemingly minor crimes.

On the second part of the two-night AMERICAN IDOL season finale, the Top 12 reunites on stage one last time. At the end of a two-hour music celebration, host Ryan Seacrest will reveal the next AMERICAN IDOL.

THURSDAY

This May, FOX Thursdays are more thrilling than ever with four all-new installments of BONES and four all-new episodes of FRINGE, including the game-changing season finales of each.

When the body of a rich adventure-seeker is found in a hotel washing machine, Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) are led to the last place he was seen – a rock-n-roll fantasy camp. The special “FOX Rocks” episode also features Booth rocking out on guitar and performing a duet with Brennan. Additionally, Josh Todd from Buckcherry guest stars in the episode.

In an episode written by author Kathy Reichs, a cabin burns down in the woods revealing two bodies – one of a modern-day witch and one from the days of the Salem witch trials – leading Booth and Brennan into the world of Wicca to find a killer.

FRINGE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Northwest Passage”

Peter teams up with Sheriff Mathis (guest star Martha Plimpton) on a serial murder investigation with ties to Newton (guest star Sebastian Roch). Meanwhile, Walter copes with the possibility of being sent back to St. Claire’s, and someone from the “other side” pays a visit.

Thursday, May 13

BONES (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “The Boy with the Answer”

The trial of The Gravedigger hits close to home for members of the team, and everyone at the Jeffersonian must work overtime to uncover the forensic evidence to elicit a conviction.

In part one of the two-part, two-night second season finale, Walter and Olivia travel to the parallel universe, and the anticipated face-off between Walter Bishop and William Bell occurs when special guest star Leonard Nimoy returns.

In the season finale, the team investigates a set of remains belonging to a hoarder. Meanwhile, Angela’s (Michaela Conlin) father (guest star Billy Gibbons) has a unique purpose for his most recent visit, and Brennan and Booth are confronted with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Sacrifices will be made and both universes may never be the same again after Walter and Olivia visit the “other side” in Part 2 of the climactic season finale.

FRIDAY

Duck and cover! FOX antiheroes Dr. Gregory House and Chef Gordon Ramsay are men to be reckoned with this May on FOX Fridays with encore installments of HOUSE and all-new episodes of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. Plus, HOUSE viewers can get a second opinion with exclusive never-before-seen episode commentary from Hugh Laurie (April 30 and May 7), Olivia Wilde (May 14) and Peter Jacobson (May 21) incorporated into each encore.

Friday, April 30

HOUSE (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Broken” – “FOX Rocks” Programming

In a special encore presentation of this season’s emotional two-hour premiere, directed by HOUSE executive producer Katie Jacobs and featuring guest stars Andre Braugher, Franka Potente and Lin-Manuel Miranda, House begins a detox program to get the vicodin out of his system to stop his powerful hallucinations once and for all. Strong-armed into staying at the facility by his attending physician, Dr. Darryl Nolan (guest star Braugher), House develops a close relationship with his new roommate, Alvie (guest star Miranda), and Lydia (guest star Potente), a frequent visitor who helps House bend the rules. House resorts to his old tricks of blackmail and manipulation, but when devastating events ensue, he is humbled into reluctantly accepting help. As part of “FOX Rocks,” House plays piano and raps alongside Alvie in the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital’s talent show. Plus, incorporated into the encore installment is new behind-the-scenes commentary from series star Laurie.

Friday, May 7

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Lockdown”

Hugh Laurie directs and Oscar nominee David Strathairn guest-stars in an encore episode that features new exclusive episode commentary from Laurie. When a newborn disappears from the nursery, Princeton Plainsboro goes on lockdown, preventing anyone from entering, leaving or moving within the hospital. While House and hospital staff are trapped in various parts of the building, new insights about the team’s personal histories, relationships and regrets surface.

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Fleming”

Chef Gordon Ramsay visits Fleming in Miami, FL, where a husband-and-wife team is in desperate need of help. Once a popular Danish restaurant, Fleming has been resistant to change and is now barely surviving. And after Chef Ramsay sees what’s lurking in the cooler, he is forced to shut down the restaurant in the middle of the dinner service. With a stubborn owner in denial, Ramsay is going to have to make some major changes, or Fleming will be forced to close their doors forever.

Friday, May 14

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Knight Fall”

In an encore episode, in which never-before-seen Olivia Wilde commentary is incorporated, House and the team take on the case of Sir William (guest star Noah Segan), a “knight” living in a closed-off community that lives according to the ideals of the High Renaissance. Meanwhile, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) starts over with an ex (guest star Cynthia Watros).

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “PJ’s Steakhouse”

Chef Ramsay heads to PJ’s Steakhouse in Forest Hills, NJ, where husband-and-wife team Joe and Madalyn are in need of a mentor. Reeling from the loss of his brother PJ and with zero restaurant experience, Joe purchased the namesake restaurant in hopes of turning it into a high-end steakhouse. Can Chef Ramsay teach Joe and Madalyn enough Restaurant 101 so that they can honor PJ’s name and ensure the restaurant’s survival?

Friday, May 21

HOUSE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Open & Shut”

While the team treats a patient (guest star Sarah Wayne Callies) in an open marriage, House tests Wilson’s relationship with Sam (guest star Cynthia Watros) and Taub (Peter Jacobson) attempts to move to the next level in his relationship with his wife, Rachel (guest star Jennifer Crystal). Also featured is new commentary from Jacobson as he offers his unique insider’s perspective on the pivotal encore installment.

Chef Ramsay visits restaurants from kitchens past to see if they’ve been able to implement his changes and help their businesses thrive. He’s in for a real surprise when he drops in on Handlebar, Casa Roma and the most memorable eatery yet, Black Pearl.

SATURDAY

This May, FOX Saturday serves up two NASCAR ON FOX races, one MLB ON FOX game, two all-new episodes of COPS, an all-new special-edition episode of AMERICA’S MOST WANTED and encore episodes of THE WANDA SYKES SHOW and BROTHERS.

FOX Sports presents NASCAR Sprint Cup racing’s RICHMOND 500. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip call the action live from Richmond International Raceway. As part of “FOX Rocks,” the primetime NASCAR ON FOX race boasts a special music video show open.

Wanda’s greatest wish comes true when she meets musical superstar Sade in an encore installment of late-night’s newest entry that also features a lively panel discussion with rapper MC Lyte, actor Brandon T. Jackson and comedian Greg Fitzsimmons. In addition to Sade and MC Lyte, the special “FOX Rocks” episode features the Angel City Chorale helping Wanda deliver a message to the week’s newsmakers.

BROTHERS (1:00-1:30 AM ET/Midnight-12:30 AM PT) – “Snoop-Fat Kid”

Snoop Dogg guest-stars in an encore episode. Mike (Michael Strahan) and Chill (Daryl Chill Mitchell) hire their cousin Kenny (guest star Snoop Dogg), a shady lawyer who specializes in debt and fraud, to recover Mike’s laundered assets. But when Kenny is only able to locate funds donated to a children’s charity, Mike wrestles with a tough decision. Meanwhile, Coach (Carl Weathers) and Adele (CCH Pounder) work together to help a heavy kid pass gym class.

In an encore outing, Wanda keeps the party going with her irreverent new spin on the late-night talk show. Joining Wanda for a lively panel discussion examining the week’s events are actors Aisha Tyler (“Archer”), Hamish Linklater (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) and Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”).

BROTHERS (2:00-2:30 AM ET/Midnight-12:30 AM PT) – “Snoop Returns”

In an encore episode, with the help of Cousin Kenny’s (guest star Snoop Dogg) legal aid, Coach’s brother Maurice (guest star Fred Williamson) is released from jail and arrives at the Trainors’ home to spend some time with the family. Meanwhile, Mike makes a play for Kathleen (guest star Ryan Michelle Bathe), a new waitress at Trainor’s, and Jimmy Johnson (guest-starring as himself) stops by the restaurant to talk football.

Saturday, May 15

COPS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) – “Police Pullovers #6”

Officers from the Portland Police Bureau in Oregon track down a restraining-order violator after he kicks in the door of the car belonging to his ex’s new boyfriend, while officers from the Houston Police Department inform a man that his new online girlfriend is wanted for a misdemeanor.

COPS (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Resisting Arrest #5”

When officers from the Amarillo Police Department in Texas are called to investigate a domestic disturbance, they arrive just in time to witness the aggressor drunkenly trying to tackle his opponent. Meanwhile, officers from the Boynton Beach Police Department in Florida arrest a man for disorderly intoxication after he offends passengers with his cell phone ringtones.

AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Windy City Fights Back Special Edition”

John Walsh brings AMERICA’S MOST WANTED to Chicago to see how the city and its citizens are battling an epidemic of violence by fighting back and to find out how AMW viewers can help. The Windy City has responded to its growing crime problem by installing the most extensive surveillance-camera system in the nation – more than 10,000 public and private cameras. The special episode will also include Walsh’s emotional meeting with a group called “Purpose Over Pain,” whose members, like Walsh, have lost children to senseless crimes and will ask viewers to help find them justice.

THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT)

In an encore episode, Wanda unleashes her signature brand of topical humor with field pieces, comedy segments and a wry and lively panel discussion with her biggest panel ever: Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines and Colin Quinn. Plus, Wanda sits down for a one-on-one with Eddie Izzard.

BROTHERS (Midnight-12:30 AM ET/PT) – “Lenny”

Mike Tyson, Lenny Clark and Tichina Arnold guest-star in an encore episode. When Adele’s sister, Cynthia (guest star Arnold), and her offensive husband, Lenny (guest star Clark), come to town, Adele pleads with Coach to be on his best behavior. Meanwhile, Mike Tyson (guest-starring as himself) pays a surprise visit to Trainor’s, and Mike and Chill compete for the affection of Mike’s high-school sweetheart (guest star Danielle Nicolet).

Saturday, May 22

MLB ON FOX (7:00-10:00 PM ET live/4:00-7:00 PM PT live)

FOX Sports presents coverage of the 2010 baseball season as the exclusive network home of Major League Baseball. Coverage kicks off with host Chris Rose from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and featured in primetime are: New York Yankees at New York Mets, Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers.

THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT)

Actress Regina King (“Southland”), comedian Paul Rodriguez and basketball legend and TV personality John Salley join Wanda for more late-night fun in an encore installment.

BROTHERS (Midnight-12:30 AM ET/PT) – “Week in Chair”

In an encore episode, Chill wagers that his brother can’t spend one week in a wheelchair. Mike takes what he considers an easy bet and makes some surprising discoveries over the course of seven days.

SUNDAY

FOX Sundays in May offer up all-new episodes of ‘TIL DEATH, THE SIMPSONS, THE CLEVELAND SHOW, FAMILY GUY and AMERICAN DAD; and season finales of ANIMATION DOMINATION.

Sunday, May 2

‘TIL DEATH (7:00-7:30 PM ET/PT) – “Work Wife”

Series star Joely Fisher directs an all-new episode that features guest stars Martin Mull, Kevin Nealon and Susan Yeagley. When Joy (Fisher) loses her job at Eddie’s (Brad Garrett) school, she accepts a position as Stephen’s (guest star Nealon) executive assistant. The new gig leaves her miserable, leading Eddie and Mr. White (guest star Mull) to scheme a way to get Joy her old job back.

THE SIMPSONS (7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT) – “Once Upon a Time in Springfield” – “FOX Rocks” Programming

In an encore of the landmark 450th episode, Krusty (Dan Castellaneta) gets a new female co-star with the voice of an angel, Princess Penelope (guest voice Anne Hathaway), who softens his heart. Meanwhile, when Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) puts a stop to the free donuts at the plant to cut costs, Homer (Castellaneta), Lenny (Shearer) and Carl (Hank Azaria) decide to meet with a headhunter who opens their eyes to new opportunities. Jackie Mason and the late Eartha Kitt also guest-voice.

Acting as his brother’s wingman, Rallo (Mike Henry) gives Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson) a few pointers on how to win over the girl of his dreams, Chanel (guest voice Taraji P. Henson). When Cleveland Jr. finds out her boyfriend is local rap star Kenny West (guest voice Kanye West), it’s a rap battle for Chanel’s heart.

In the special one-hour 150th episode, Brian (Seth MacFarlane) and Stewie (MacFarlane) get locked in a bank vault and are forced to survive without baby food and martinis while they hatch an escape plan. Immediately following the episode, the celebration will continue with fan-favorite and never-before-seen musical numbers.

In an encore episode, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) gets in trouble at school for not turning in his homework, and Homer and Marge (Julie Kavner) disagree about his punishment. When Bart realizes he can pit his parents against each other to his benefit, his scheming reaches new heights.

THE SIMPSONS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) – “Moe Letter Blues”

As Mother’s Day approaches, Homer, Apu (Hank Azaria) and Reverend Lovejoy (Harry Shearer) receive a letter from Moe (Azaria) warning them that he’s going to run away with one of their wives.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “Brown History Month”

Cleveland (Mike Henry) and Cleveland Jr. teach Donna (Sanaa Lathan) and the kids their tradition of celebrating Black History Month. However, when Rallo learns about his heritage at school, he provokes Cleveland into a battle royale with neighbor, Lester (Kevin Michael Richardson).

FAMILY GUY (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) – “Quagmire’s Dad”

Quagmire (Seth MacFarlane) gets the surprise of his life on Mother’s Day, when his father (MacFarlane) starts to go through the change of his life.

AMERICAN DAD (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “An Incident at Owl Creek”

In preparation for a neighborhood pool party, Stan (Seth MacFarlane) tells his family to get in tip-top shape, but an accident ruins the Smith family name. A humiliated Stan fakes his family’s deaths and moves everyone out of Langley Falls to escape his shame.

Sunday, May 16

‘TIL DEATH (7:00-7:30 PM ET/PT) – “Let’s Go”

Whitey (guest star Martin Mull) throws a surprise party for his 93-year-old grumpy uncle (guest star M. Emmet Walsh), and his party guests are surprised to discover his house is overflowing with junk. Meanwhile, Eddie, anxious to get to the party, tries to rush Joy, Doug and Ally who are taking their sweet time getting ready to go.

THE SIMPSONS (7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT) – “Pranks & Greens”

Jonah Hill guest-voices in an encore episode. Fed up with Bart’s constant pranks, Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) reveals that there is a former Springfield Elementary student who is hailed as the best prankster ever – even better than Bart. When Bart finally tracks down Andy Hamilton (guest voice Hill), a 19-year-old who hasn’t grown out of his pranking days, they become fast friends.

THE SIMPSONS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) – “The Bob Next Door”

Bart becomes convinced that his new neighbor is his arch enemy, Sideshow Bob (guest voice Kelsey Grammer), and Marge tries to convince him otherwise by taking him to visit the state penitentiary.

It’s Roger’s birthday, and he begs to be roasted. But when he ends up devastated by the jokes, he vows to pull his life together. Things take a turn for the worse when Roger takes it one step too far, and the Smith family goes on the run.

Sunday, May 23

‘TIL DEATH (7:00-7:30 PM ET/PT) – “The Baby”

Eddie’s book finally gets published, but on the day of his book signing Ally goes into labor. The new addition to the family sparks Eddie to give Doug fatherhood tips and Ally to apologize to Joy for being a terrible daughter.

THE SIMPSONS (7:30-8:00 PM ET/PT) – “Treehouse of Horrors XX”

In an encore of this season’s “Treehouse of Horror” trilogy, the annual SIMPSONS Halloween tradition serves up three frightful vignettes: “Dial ‘M’ for Murder or Press ‘#'” is an homage to classic Alfred Hitchcock films featuring an outraged Lisa and a scheming Bart; Springfieldians are transformed into zombies in a parody of the horror film “28 Days Later”; and a nod to the Broadway musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” sees an impaled Homer lamenting his fate in song.

THE SIMPSONS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) – “Judge Me Tender” – Season Finale

In THE SIMPSONS 21st season finale, Moe discovers a talent for judging contests and is invited to appear on AMERICAN IDOL with host Ryan Seacrest and fellow judges Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson, all guest-voicing as themselves. Meanwhile, Homer drives Marge crazy when he starts hanging around the house too much.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “You’re the Best Man, Cleveland Brown” – Season Finale

Much to his dismay, Cleveland finds out that Cleveland Jr. will inherit all of his ex-wife’s belongings and that his parents, Cookie (guest voice Francis Callier) and Freight Train (guest voice Craig Robinson), plan to remarry. To add insult to injury, Freight Train dumps Cleveland as his best man in favor of Donna’s ex-husband, Robert (guest voice Corey Holcomb). In the end, though, Cleveland steps in to save the day in the season finale, which also features a special musical number by Earth, Wind & Fire.

THE TEAM ASSISTS AT THE SCENE OF AN EMERGENCY
ON THE SEASON FINALE OF “HOUSE” MONDAY, MAY 17, ON FOX

Cuddy, House and members of the team join forces with a search-and-rescue team to provide much-needed medical attention at the scene of an emergency in the “Help Me” season finale episode of HOUSE airing Monday, May 17 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (HOU-622) (TV-14 L)

House’s Lisa Edelstein: The Exploration of House and Cuddy Isn’t Over

It always hurts when someone you love moves on, and especially painful when that person moves on to someone else. It’s even worse when you still have to see the object of your desire every day. And what’s worst of all is when you’re the star of a medical drama, and for the season finale, you and the woman you love have to spend hours together, treating a victim trapped in the rubble of a crane collapsed. A crane collapsed like your hopes and dreams.

That’s the situation in which Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) finds himself Monday as House wraps its sixth season. TVGuide.com talked to Lisa Edelstein, who plays just-trying-to-move-on love interest Cuddy, about why she thinks her character has given up on the cranky diagnostician and whether she truly loves her new beau, Lucas. She also tells us whether Cuddy’s rejection could drive House back to a relapse. Will watching the finale be like watching a crane wreck?

Watch free full episodes of House

TVGuide.com: Last week, Dr. Nolan and House came to the realization that Cuddy’s relationship with Lucas has deeply affected House. How will that carry over into the finale?
Edelstein: It comes to a head for sure. Cuddy is making some moves in her life that are really painful for House, even though he’s trying to be the bigger man. I think House is taking all the decisions in her own life personally. When really, the things Cuddy is doing, she’s doing for herself. She’s trying to make better decisions that might lead to a happier, easier future. They’re not necessarily the decisions that stick. They’re just the ones you try to do. And in the meantime, they are caught up in an awful disaster where they team up to help this woman. In the process it really forces them to face each other and see each other for who they are.

TVGuide.com: There’s obviously something there, so why do you think she’s giving up on him?
Edelstein: Because of her daughter. The fact that she’s a mother and needs something stable in her life. She’s got so much responsibility that to have an intimate relationship with House would mean she’d have another huge task at hand. And I think she’s doing everything she can to stop herself from going in that direction.

TVGuide.com: Well, do you think she really loves Lucas?
Edelstein: I think it’s more about having a stable family. I don’t think it’s great passion. It’s one of those times in a person’s life where you try to choose against your instinct because what you need is stability. I think what really turns her on is, well, not stability. She’s got huge responsibilities now. In [the recent Cuddy-centric episode], you see Lucas knows how to show up and helps her in practical matters — even though he’s a disappointment in that particular episode [Laughs]. Her relationship with House goes much deeper. He’s the one that helps her in a way that’s more meaningful. She’s able to come to new understandings with him.

TVGuide.com: A lot of fans truly hate the “Luddy” relationship. What’s your take on that?
Edelstein: I love it. I think it’s fantastic that people are so passionate about it. It’s very hard to watch two people that you think should just get together not get together. It’s very painful because you get attached to an idea. But I don’t think the exploration of House and Cuddy is over by any stretch of the imagination. I just think she could not go further with him until she tried something else. There’s no way. She has to try to live the life that she thinks is the more correct way of doing this. This is the woman who is very responsible. Until she’s done going in that direction, which I don’t know when that will be, she’s got to do what she’s got to do.

TVGuide.com: Would you like to see House and Cuddy get together before end of the series, or do you think that would ruin things?
Edelstein: I do think they need to do something about it. And I would trust David Shore to never make it actually work. [Laughs] It has to be tortured and painful. I mean, these are not happy people. If they suddenly became happy, the dynamics of the show would change. Would I like to see something go on? Yeah. But how will it happen, I have no idea.

VIDEO: Get a first Look at the House finale

TVGuide.com: Recent episodes have dropped hints that House is headed for a relapse. What can you tell us about that?
Edelstein: House came out of the hospital with the intention of getting Cuddy. So that’s an arc of this season for sure. Wilson’s been there to take care of him, but Cuddy’s been the thing on his mind. He’s tried many times this season to convince her to be with him, so I do think that’s a major sense of failure.

TVGuide.com: So. Tell us how it all ends?
Edelstein: No. [Laughs] A lot of people on the show haven’t even seen the finale scene.

HOUSE HELPS A WOMAN DISCOVER HER IDENTITY ON AN ALL-NEW “HOUSE” MONDAY, MAY 10, ON FOX

Andre Braugher and Cynthia Watros Guest-Star

During a session with Dr. Nolan (guest star Braugher), House recounts the case of a woman who arrives at the Princeton Plainsboro emergency room with an unexplained illness and no recollection of who she is. While trying to solve the mystery of the woman’s illness, House must also help her piece together her identity in the all-new “Baggage” episode of HOUSE airing Monday, May 10 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (HOU-621) (TV-14 L)

House‘s season 6 finale airs in less than a month, so what better time to get executive producer Katie Jacobs on the horn for a quick status report on Huddy, Luddy, and all things in between? That was meant as a rhetorical question but I’ll go ahead and answer it anyway: There is no better time, silly!

Last year at this time, House was exhibiting the early signs of a complete mental breakdown. What’s his emotional journey as this season winds down?
KATIE JACOBS: Considering the fact that he’s not on Vicodin, things have been going as well as they could possibly go. He’s living with Wilson, and I think that’s helpful. And he’s really making an effort to hold it together. It sort of seems like in every episode there’s a new revelation about how well he really is doing. How is he faring just taking ibuprofen for the pain? Is that working? In episode 17 he was stuck in that room for two hours with David Strathairn and we found out he is in pain. And from now until the end of the season, there’s going to be something that challenges House’s [sobriety] in almost every episode.

Wilson’s ex-wife returning being one of those things?
JACOBS: Yes. If that relationship progresses to the point where they want to live together, what does that mean for House? Does he stay or does he go? Also, some things from [his] past are going to come back and maybe present themselves as an opportunity for him to connect to someone else, and it’s not going to work out so well. Everybody but House is sort of taking a step toward, coupling up or at least trying to. Wilson with Sam, Cuddy with Lucas, and earlier in the season there was Foreman with his brother. And little by little House is going to find that he’s pretty much on his own again.

Let’s talk about the Huddy of it all. Back in February, David Shore confirmed that House and Cuddy would eventually hook up. Fans, of course, are growing impatient.
JACOBS: I understand the fans’ point of view, but the relationship between Cuddy and Lucas offers Cuddy some really important things: companionship, shared responsibility of Rachel, and they have a nice time together. What I think fans are responding to is that they don’t feel that relationship provides everything Cuddy can have. I would say watch for [an answer to this question]: Is that relationship going to work for Cuddy? Because it’s a lot of good things but it’s not everything. But no relationship is. How long will that work for Cuddy? Will it work permanently or will it not work?

I can’t tell you how many emails I receive a day from fans who just want Lucas gone.
JACOBS: They don’t want her to settle for anyone less than House. And that’s something she has to wrestle with. Is this really going to work for her? Is this going to be the relationship? And we know that’s on everyone’s minds. It’s on our minds as well.

Would it be fair to say she’s going to come to some sort of decision about that before the end of the season?
JACOBS: It’s addressed, so far as, “Okay, am I going to make this work with Lucas? Can I stay with Lucas?” It is going to be addressed by the end of the season whether or not she thinks she can.

You hinted earlier that someone from House’s past comes back. Is it a former love?
JACOBS: I won’t address that. But I will say that one of the things that we haven’t shown, but that’s been ongoing, is his treatment with Dr. Nolan [Andre Braugher]. Just because he’s been out of the hospital doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have regular therapy session. We haven’t shown that, and you’ll see that.

Thirteen and Taub’s three-year fellowships are due to expire at season’s end. Will that be addressed?
JACOBS: Boy, you’re so smart. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I will say there’s a mystery at the end of this season with one of our characters. Oh, that’s so vague.

Can you be a little more specific?
JACOBS: [Hesitates] In the final episode there’s an unanswered question with one of our actors and it’s a mystery that will play out over next season.

Yikes! Who do you think Jacobs is referring to? And care to weigh in on Cuddy’s big season-ending decision?
Source: EW

During November sweeps, House, Cuddy, and Wilson will attend a medical conference together. (Michael Ausiello)

Executive producer David Shore revealed this about the season premiere: “[Franka Potente] is the sister-in-law of one of the inmates, who develops an attachment to House, and House develops an attachment to her, but it’s complicated.” (Watch With Kristin)

Cuddy knows that House made imaginary love to her last May. “It’s referenced in an upcoming episode,” creator David Shore says. “She’s aware of it and she confronts him. She wants to know where all that stands.” (Michael Ausiello)

Only Wilson and House will appear in the season premiere, which takes place at the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. After that, look for Foreman to take the lead back at Princeton-Plainsboro, which will cause a rift in his relationship with Thirteen. (TV Guide)

Cameron and Chase’s first significant fight as a married couple will take place in episode 4. And it’s not going to be pretty. (Michael Ausiello)

This episode films between the 10th and 20th of August. [JACK] Male, 9-11 to play 10, Caucasian, THIN, GUEST STAR, Source: SpoilerTV

House and his asylum mates are going on a field trip to an amusement park in the two-hour opener. The show shot scenes on location at Universal Studios last week. House was working the Skydiving Fan. (Michael Ausiello)

Robert Sean Leonard (Wilson) says his character’s romantic prospects this season are all but nonexistent. (Watch With Kristin)

New Promo of ‘House M.D.’ Season 6

Take a look at how House is doing in his new residency, the Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital.

One of the first promos of FOX’s “House M.D.” has been shared, bearing the tagline “What happens when the doctor becomes the patient?”. The sixth season of the medical drama will pick up where the season 5 finale left off, with House’s delusion coming to a serious level. Driven by Wilson, House voluntarily admits himself to Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. In the promo, House is seen wandering, sleeping restlessly, and struggling while being escorted back to the building. Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda has been cast as House’s psych hospital roommate for at least two episodes. “House M.D.” is scheduled to return with new episodes on September 21. The show receives the nomination of Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series through Hugh Laurie and Best Drama Series at the upcoming 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Winners are announced on September 20 through a gala aired live on CBS.

House (Fox) James Earl Jones has signed on to guest star in an upcoming episode this fall. He will play an African dictator who becomes a patient at Princeton-Plainsboro.

When we last saw Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), he was walking into a mental institution and wrapping his head around his hallucination of having sex with Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).

Sure, we were mad at first for the big sex scene fake-out, but we were happy to learn at last night’s House event at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills that a true Huddy hookup might just be in store for season three, which starts shooting very soon and hits Fox on Sept. 21.

House executive producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore, along with Hugh, Lisa and Omar Epps filled us in on House’s mental state, Huddy’s romantic state and the state of things at Princeton-Plainsboro…

House Has Gone Crazy: “This season opener is really going to begin shortly after those doors close behind him. We’re going to wake up there and going to cover—storytelling wise in two hours—two to three months and that journey of rehabilitation that House feels he may or may not need, that he does need,” says Katie. “It’s not a full-on rehabilitation. House won’t be perfect in any way. I describe it as if there’s a hole in his heart, maybe he’ll leave with one more piece, but the House is still there.” Don’t expect the whole season to take place in the mental institute though: “It’s not going to be that much, but that two-hour premiere is basically exclusively there,” adds David.

Paging Dr. Nolan: Who has the lucky job of diagnosing one of the most famous diagnosticians in the world? That job is left up to Dr. Nolan, played by Andre Braugher, whom you may remember from Gideon’s Crossing. Katie describes the surely to butt heads pair: “House’s version of how well he needs to be to go back to work and Nolan’s version of how well he needs to be to go back to work is very different. You can check yourself in voluntarily, and you can leave voluntarily, but whether or not he’s going to be permitted to practice medicine is another story. Before he is going to be allowed to practice medicine, Dr. Nolan needs to make sure House is on much sturdier ground than at the end of the season.”

Hugh on Playing Crazy: Hop on the crazy boat, because we’re in for quite a storm. Says Hugh, “House’s sickness is an indispensable part of his skill, possibly his intellect, and if not his intellect, than his identity. All of us fear change because we fear even the things we dislike in our lives, we fear that they are nonetheless part of us, and if we surrender them then we will become some how less.” For his time in the mental hospital, Hugh has shaved his head, saying “I have a slightly institutional look.” However, being institutionalized is not all serious though, “There is just a small musical element to it. I’m completely out of my depth; I should not be doing it, but life is about risks!” jokes Hugh.

When the Doctor’s Away, the Kids Will Play: When it comes to who’s going to be in charge with House missing in action, Omar says that Foreman is stepping into the foreground: “That’s sort of a natural progression. However, even in a mental institute, I would imagine House would still be in charge.” Unfortunately, with every doctor trying to be the boss, it may not be good for Foreman and Thirteen (Olivia Wilde). “I think the stress of trying to take over the team is obviously going to have a strain on their relationship.” Even if Foreman takes the lead, it’s not going to be easy. Omar adds, “It’s going to have a tremendous effect [with House gone]. Everyone is going to be second-guessing themselves. In that sense, House is a crutch for them. When all else fails, just go to him and he’ll have the answers. The reality is, the other doctors are not willing to take the risks that he takes.” Finally, don’t expect House to waltz back into Princeton-Plainsboro ready to take over again: “You don’t emerge from a psychiatric hospital and just get your medical license back all that easy. That differential diagnosis division is still going to be functioning, but whether he’s going to be at the head of it initially or not, that’s the question,” says Katie. Lisa Edelstein, Hugh Laurie, House Adam Taylor/FOX

Once He’s Healed: Fans are still reeling over the imagined coupling of House and Cuddy, but Lisa tells us, “I loved the way they handled it because for one thing, it means they can still have sex. Because they haven’t done it yet. In another way it shows what he wishes he had, which includes an intimate relationship with her, wanting to live with her and wanting to be off drugs. I think we learn a lot about him and we still have the opportunity of exploring it, because it hasn’t been explored even though we got to shoot that sexy scene.” Katie seconds that notion, “I think all those emotions, sparks, difficulties and the push and pull is still there. I think the only reason why he hallucinated that hallucination with someone he works with is because somewhere that’s in his mind.” Source:E!Online

‘House’ season 6 video, get your first look

“House” fans who tuned into tonight’s MLB All-Star Game got a special treat: the brand spanking new trailer for season six, complete with scenes from the season premiere. No worries if you missed it, we’ve got you covered. The quality of our video is ghetto at best, but a ghetto glimpse at House inside the psychiatric facility is better than nothing, no?

Will House stop being crazy? “No,” says Robert Sean Leonard. “It would be like Quincy suddenly getting nice and loving examining dead bodies. There are certain things that are just givens about the show, and one is the general makeup of House’s attitude and personality. He may stop hallucinating but he’d never stop being sarcastic.” Adds series creator David Shore: “It depends on how we define better. That is the question. How sick is he? Does House want to get better? Can he get better? And how much better? And how much will the team be told and how will the dynamic shift with House away? Those are the questions we are going to deal with in the first bunch of episodes, and perhaps even the whole season to a certain extent.” (Michael Ausiello)

Executive producer David Shore talks about how is in charge while House is gone, “We are going to have some fun with who is going to be running the diagnostics department. We’re not bringing in anyone new right now, so it’s going to be somebody you know.” (Watch With Kristin)

Will we ever know for sure if Cuddy realizes what House imagined happened between them? Please reassure us that they won’t drop this sizzling hot storyline! As the cast teased last week, a lot of this season has to do with House (Hugh Laurie) working his way back to sanity and realizing his feelings for Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). To answer your question specifically, David Shore says, “I think she does know. Actually, we had some discussion about it. I think him standing on the balcony, screaming out ‘I slept with Lisa Cuddy!’ [gave it away].” Source: Kristin on E!Online

I’d like to know if we’ll see more of Cuddy as a mom in the future on House. I like the idea of her being a working mom; she could be such a good role model for women if they’d convey this storyline properly. We asked Lisa Edelstein if she wants to see that as well, but she’s more interested in the Huddy relationship than keeping up with Cuddy’s baby. Lisa tells us, “I’m eager to see what they do with the House and Cuddy storyline. The baby is fine, but I don’t think it’s really about that. I’m sure it will be woven through, but it grounds her to have a child. I think it gives her more of a life than she had. But ultimately it’s not about that, the show is not about that. The show is about the hospital and the inner relationships at the hospital.” Source: Kristin on E!Online

Will Thirteen and Taub be leaving at the end of this season? They will have completed their three-year fellowships by then. Will Chase and Cameron come back, or will there be new fellows? House executive producer David Shore says it’s too early in the season to know if they’re going to be introducing new characters. He says, “We don’t have any plans on that. As we get closer to the end of the year we might, but I don’t think we’ve mined everything we can with the six fellows we’ve had there.” Source: Kristin on E!Online

[ABEDNEGO] Male, 40s to 70s, AFRICAN, former world famous soccer player, now President of Fifa, the worldwide soccer organization. Please note if actor speaks any African languages. NO SOCCER SKILLS REQUIRED. GUEST STAR.

[SAM] Male 20 to 30’s, AFRICAN, currently the star of the South African soccer team. Please note if actor speaks any African languages. NO SOCCER SKILLS REQUIRED. GUEST STAR.

Lisa Edelstein thinks House & Cuddy are still headed for sex

The Paley Center for Media hosted a “House” panel last night, during which a great deal of info regarding the upcoming fall season slipped out. The highlights? The story will pretty much pick right back up where it left off in the finale, with House being admitted to a mental institution after hallucinating a sexual encounter with Cuddy. The season premiere will cover the three month span that House is in rehab. While there, House (who’ll be sporting a shaved head, fyi) will be spending a lot of one-on-one time with a doctor by the name of Nolan (“Gideon’s Crossing”‘s Andre Braugher). Of course, House doesn’t feel he needs to be locked up and in therapy, but he needs Dr. Nolan’s seal of approval if he ever wants to practice medicine again, so there will be some friction no doubt… hope Nolan’s not gonna be another Officer Twitter-type. The team back at Princeton Plainsboro is going to go a little crazy without House around to check their work. Thankfully, though, our guy won’t be gone for long. He will return to the hospital and, ultimately, have to deal with why he was hallucinating about Huddy sex. Said Lisa Edelstein (Cuddy), “I loved [the hallucination storyline], it means they can still have sex because they haven’t done it yet! But [the hallucination] shows what he wishes he had, wanting an intimate relationship with her and wanting to be off drugs.” So, yeah, thoughts? Do you agree?

The two-hour One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-inspired season premiere will feature only two of the show’s main players: House and Wilson. Everyone else will show up the following week. (Michael Ausiello)

‘House’s’ new all singing, all dancing roommate

“House” has a new roommate with a musical past. Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda has the honor of being cast as Dr. House’s roomie in the psychiatric hospital where he landed in last season’s finale, reportsEW’s Ausiello. Miranda, 29, is best known for writing and starring in Broadway’s “In the Heights.” He’ll appear in at least two episodes in the upcoming sixth season. There’s no word yet whether or not he’ll bring his hoofing and singing skills into play for the role. Besides appearing on the stage, Miranda also made appearances on the new “Electric Company.” Miranda is just the first of the new, “interesting” faces that will be brought in to fill House’s psych facility experiences with a little color. We can’t wait for more. We weren’t certain what to expect with the new wave of doctors, but they’ve turned out to be great additions.

Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda has been cast as House’s psych hospital roomie, sources confirm. Miranda, best known for writing and starring in the Broadway musical In The Heights, will appear in at least two episodes beginning with the show’s sixth season premiere this fall. A House insider says producers are looking for other “interesting actors” to populate the psychiatric facility that became House’s home in last month’s finale. So if you’re an actor who excels at riding the crazy train, forward this story to your agent ASAP. Source: EW

[STOMP] – male, AFRICAN AMERICAN or CAUCASIAN, 50s-70s, patient in a mental hospital. ACTOR DOES NOT SPEAK but constantly stomps to his own beat. looking for actors who are REAL PERCUSSIONISTS. Actors MUST be available the entire shoot and rehearsal (6/15-7/16). Source: SpoilerTV

FOX Fall Schedule: ‘Dollhouse’ Renewed, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 6

Today FOX officially announced its schedule for the 2009-2010 TV season, and some of the changes are huge. Aside from the great news that Dollhouse will be coming back for a second season, the other big story is that So You Think You Can Dance, which premieres its fifth season this Thursday, will air in the Fall as well for an immediate sixth season. The So You Think You Can Dance move is unusual, but helps to balance out the schedule since FOX has American Idol in the Spring. It also gives FOX the chance to do direct competition with Dancing with the Stars, a show that in recent seasons has taken several professional from former SYTYCD contestants. With three hours of So You Think You Can Dance on the schedule each week, there isn’t much room in the Fall schedule for new shows. House, Lie to Me, Bones, Fringe and Til Death all return in the Fall as do the Sunday animated comedies The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad.

New entries for the Fall include Glee, a new hour-long comedy that has a special premiere presentation tomorrow after the American Idol final performance show. The other new shows are half-hour comedies: The Cleveland Show, an animated spin-off of Family Guy, and Brothers, a Friday night sitcom starring Michael Strahan (yes, former NFL star Michael Strahan). FOX will also try a new Saturday night talk show by giving recent White House Correspondents Dinner host Wanda Sykes her own show.

FOX also revealed its plans for the Spring season which brings more new shows. Two new dramas, Human Target and Past Life, will premiere in the Winter. Human Target is an action series based on a popular graphic novel about a man who protects his clients at all costs while Past Life is about a psychologist who treats her patients by exploring their past lives.

The current Spring schedule keeps Thursday and Friday nights the same while adding 24, preempting Glee until the Spring, and introducing a new comedy on Sundays, Sons of Tucson, a live action comedy starring Reaper‘s Tyler Labine.

Fall TV: Official Fox Sked Adds Dance to Fall Mix, Cancels Terminator

Fox’s official plan for the 2009-10 TV season includes good news for House and Bones fans: The two popular series are staying put on their respective nights. They’ll also boost two returning freshman series: Tim Roth’s Lie to Me has scored the plum afterHouse berth on Monday, while Fringe will lead out of Bones on Thursday.Dollhouse will remain in the Fridays-at-9 pm slot, where its new lead-in will be a pair of live-action comedies — Brothers, starring former NFL star Michael Strahan, and [groan] ‘Til Death.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has officially been powered down. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly tells TVGuide.com that no matter how well Christian Bale’s Terminator Salvation theatrical release does, the TV series will not be baaaack.

On the reality front, So You Think You Can Dance enthusiasts can do a little jig to celebrate the fact that not long after the show’s about-to-launch summer season ends, a fall edition will kick up its heels, airing on Tuesday (with a two-hour performance show) and Wednesday. Kevin Reilly says that the intent is to mirror the network’s midseason lineup, when American Idol enters the mix. Wanda Sykes will host a late-night roundtable talk show airing Saturdays at 11 pm.

Among Fox’s new offerings, Glee — which gets sneak-peeked this Tuesday, following American Idol‘s Adam-Kris sing-off — will air on Wednesday, leading out of Dance‘s results show. The Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show will call Sunday-at-8:30 pm home.

Premiering midseason will be Past Life (a reincarnation-tinged thriller series airing Tuesdays at 9 pm), Human Target (with Mark Valley as an elite bodyguard, replacing Glee on Wednesdays) and the comedy Sons of Tucson (starring Tyler Labine and targeted for Sundays).

‘House’ finale postmortem: Spoilers about tonight’s episode!

WARNING: Stop reading if you have not watched tonight’s episode of House. I mean it. Everyone else, onward and downward…

Among the many bombshells dropped in tonight’s House season finale was the discovery that last week’s massively hyped hookup between House and Cuddy, um, Never. Actually. Happened. It was nothing more than a figment of House’s Vicodin-soaked, Kutner-grievin’, Amber-obsessed imagination. Feeling a little duped, eh? Join the club. Of course, looking back, the signs were there. Series creator David Shore was always very careful to qualify his comments about Huddysex. Take a look:

“Yes, we have figured out the details surrounding Huddy having sex,” Shore told us last January, before adding, “It definitely won’t be what people expect. We have to do things our way, the House way. We wouldn’t want to have the characters do anything out of character.” Two months later, Shore was equally as cagey about the impending romp. “I really don’t want to go into the particulars of [them hooking up] because we have found a really cool way to do it,and I don’t want to spoil it. But I will confirm that we are taking things forward [with them].” Bottom line: Technically, Shore didn’t lie. But he was playing me us a little. (BTW, both Shore and exec producer Katie Jacobs declined to be interviewed for this story.)

Other major developments in tonight’s finale and the questions they raised:

• Chase and Cameron got hitched! Will it last? Will it lead to more screen time for the underused docs next season? Will Jesse Spencer make good on his (presumably tongue-in-cheek) threat to walk? (Nope to that last one; a rep for the actor confirms he’ll be back next season as a series regular.)

• Kutner came back to life… in House’s head! Did Obama have to sign off on the cameo?

• As we suspected,a downward spiralingHouse checked into a psychiatric/rehab facility! How long will he stay there? Might he bump into Wilson’s brother while he’s there? Will he pass the time by having more imaginary sex with Cuddy?

Preview of ‘House M.D.’ 5th Season Finale: Both Sides Now

House recalls his sex with Cuddy while taking care of a patient’s hand which acts on its own will, on the May 11 episode of ‘House M.D.’Source: Ace Showbiz TV News “You will definitely be talking about this ending,” FOX said on its promo for “House M.D.” season finale. On May 11, House and the team are intrigued by Scott (guest star Ashton Holmes), a man whose left brain and right brain operate independently, leaving him with two distinct personalities and no control over some of his actions. As the two sides of Scott’s brain struggle for dominance, his warring personalities make it increasingly difficult for the team to figure out what is causing the unique problem. The team is forced to use some unusual methods to get him to cooperate with their necessary testing. Meanwhile, when House refuses to make an appearance in the clinic, Cuddy takes an unconventional approach to force House to make up the time with a very particular patient (guest star Carl Reiner). After the talked-about sex scene between House and Cuddy, there will still be more into their complicated relationship. Lisa Edelstein who plays Cuddy gave a nod in a press conference over the weekend on the question whether the relationship will change in the finale. There will be a House and Cuddy sex scene in the next new episode of House, on Monday, May 4. (Watch With Kristin) In Monday’s episode, House suspects his drug habit is fueling his Amber hallucinations, so he decides to quit Vicodin cold turkey. Cuddy comes to his apartment to personally empty out his medicine cabinet, a struggle ensues, and, before you know it, they’re both on the bathroom floor and . . . well. (Michael Ausiello)

Question: Please, give me something about next week’s season finale of House! Ausiello: There’s so much I want to tell you I don’t know where to begin. That’s a lie, yes I do: There’s a wedding! Source:The Ausiello Files

Question: House-Cuddy scoop, please! Will I need tissues? Ausiello: Probably. And just to be safe, pick up some mood stabilizers, because Monday’s finale will have Huddy fans experiencing a wide range of emotions, including (but not limited to) happiness, sadness, and “I’ll cut a bitch”-level anger. Source:The Ausiello Files

Question: Please tell me House will see one last awesome Amber hallucination in next week’s season finale! Ausiello: Not only will Amber be back, but another memorable Princeton Plainsboro alum will descend from heaven to haunt House next week. Guesses? Head to the comments! Source:The Ausiello Files

House Preview: Things Are Gonna Get “Pretty Hot”

Source: TV Guide Online “Cuddy has a complicated relationship with men, it seems,” says Edelstein. “She likes the screwed-up ones!” Coming up this week on Fox’s House (Mondays, 8 pm/ET), at least one sect of ‘shippers will have their wildest dream come true when Dr. Crankpot and Cuddy (presumably) leave their animus on the nightstand in the name of getting horizontal. “It’s a pretty hot scene,” Lisa Edelstein, who plays Cuddy, tells TVGuide.com. When we asked the actress if the characters’ coupling was “good” and thus worth the long (long) wait, she answered: “Uh, apparently!” Edelstein also shared during a Friday press conference call that the sex (or is it love?) scene took at least five takes, because “the cameras wanted to capture a lot of different things.” But that was fine by her and longtime pal Hugh Laurie. “I have a great friendship with Hugh,” she said, “and he’s super-sexy — so who could complain about kissing him?” But to paraphrase Sam the piano player: Is a romp just a romp? Will Cuddy and House’s physical encounter lay the groundwork for emotional intimacy as well? “I don’t think it’s a passing thing. It’s been going on a long time, whether or not they’ve acted on it,” said Edelstein. But… “I don’t necessarily think it will be a satisfying relationship in terms of both of them settling in and saying, ‘This is what you’re doing.'” Then again, the increasingly hallucinatory Dr. House could — could — just be imagining the whole she-bang. Allows Edelstein, “There’s a chance for anything, isn’t there?”

Preview of ‘House M.D.’ 5.23: Another Huddy Kiss

Source: Ace Showbiz TV NewsHouse and Cuddy have some quality time in favor of their romance, that possibly leads to the talked-about sex, in ‘House M.D.’ episode ‘Under My Skin’. This could be the beginning of the anticipated House-Cuddy sex at the end of the season finale. The May 4 preview of “House M.D.” reveals a kiss between the two with Cuddy asking “You want to kiss me, don’t you?” and House answering “I always want to kiss you”. Meanwhile, House and the team take on the case of a ballerina (guest star Jamie Tisdale) whose lungs collapse in the middle of a performance. When the treatment causes her skin to fall off, the dancer faces not only the prospect of never dancing again but also of dying an agonizing death. The team must use their imaginations to carefully choreograph ways to test and treat her delicate body without killing her. House continues to suffer from a severe lack of sleep and is still haunted by Amber (guest star Anne Dudek). While enlisting Wilson’s help to diagnose himself, he is willing to do the unthinkable to make his visions stop. Earlier this month, exec producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore confirmed to EW that there will be a Huddy sex “by the end of the season”.

Sneak Peek of Huddy Sex Scene in ‘House M.D.’ May 4 Episode

Finally, House and Cuddy get physical in the ‘House M.D.’ episode ‘Under My Skin’ where it all started out with a kiss.Source: Ace Showbiz TV News There is one more reason to watch “House M.D.” on Monday, May 4. FOX has just released a rather short promo that shows House and Cuddy building momentum that leave them taking off each other’s clothes at the end. In a scoop by EW’s Michael Ausiello the sex episode goes as follows: “House suspects his drug habit is fueling his Amber hallucinations, so he decides to quit Vicodin cold turkey. Cuddy comes to his apartment to personally empty out his medicine cabinet, a struggle ensues, and, before you know it, they’re both on the bathroom floor and… well… roll the clip.” Earlier this month, exec producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore confirmed to EW that there will be a Huddy sex “by the end of the season”. The episode is called “Under My Skin”. House and the team take on the case of a ballerina (guest star Jamie Tisdale) whose lungs collapse in the middle of a performance. When the treatment causes her skin to fall off, the dancer faces not only the prospect of never dancing again but also of dying an agonizing death. The team must use their imaginations to carefully choreograph ways to test and treat her delicate body without killing her.

House‘s Lisa Edelstein Kisses and Tells

The time has finally arrived. It’s been built up for seasons on end, talked about ad nauseum and debated to death. Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) are finally going to do the nasty. But is it all the promos crack it up to be? We caught up with the better half of Huddy to get the details on what’s to come, what it means and where it’s going. You might just be surprised at her answer to the question on everyone’s mind: Will it just be one big fat hallucination, or are Huddy really hooking up?

How was the new kissing scene with Hugh Laurie? It was great. I wouldn’t complain. I have a great friendship with Hugh, and he’s supersexy, so who could complain about kissing him?

We know that House and Cuddy have sex soon. So tell us, was the sex good? [Laughs] Apparently! You’re not gonna see me get naked or anything, but it was a pretty hot scene.

Are Cuddy and House more than a passing comfort to each other? I don’t think it’s a passing thing. It’s been going on for a long time whether or not they’ve acted out on it. I don’t necessarily think it will ever be a satisfying relationship in terms of both of them kind of settling in and saying this is what we’re doing. But she has a complicated relationship with men it seems. She likes the screwed up ones. I totally relate. It’s a beautiful, complicated adult relationship between those two characters. Neither person is one thing or another. They’re dynamic individuals.

Is there a chance that there is a twist that the Huddy hookup is some sort of dream or hallucination? Well, I mean, there’s a chance for anything isn’t there?

What will sex do to their relationship? You’ll have to find out.

Will we find out how the relationship changes in the finale? Yes.

Can you tell us more about the backstory of when House and Cuddy first met and how they became so close? Initially, he was kind of legendary in the school she was an undergraduate in. And she, I think, was maybe even a little obsessed with him, and she ended up auditing a class that she knew he would be in. I think he was doing a brushup class, and she audited it to check him out because he was exactly the kind of lunatic she likes. I related to her taste in men. I definitely don’t have the best taste in men. I don’t know that intelligence and taste necessarily go hand in hand. I think what we’re attracted to in finding a partner is usually something that resolves some complicated piece of our past. And for Cuddy it’s House, and it always has been.

How does the staff react to Huddy getting together? I think that the rest of the staff is pretty much waiting for them to get together. I don’t think it’s a secret. Sometimes when people have chemistry with each other, it’s just so obvious. It’s not like he doesn’t talk about it. He’s constantly referring to her body and teasing her in front of everybody else. It’s like schoolyard banter. He might as well be chasing her and pulling her braids.

Is there jealousy with Cameron? I don’t think Cameron feels jealous. Part of her sees the House-Cuddy relationship as the right thing, and maybe a part of her will always have that crush on House. Like we all carry a torch for somebody. But no, I think if anything, Cuddy worries about Cameron.

What was your favorite moment on the show so far? I loved the way they got House and Cuddy together. I loved that she was suffering so much and he was suffering so much and that’s what brought them together initially.I thought that was a beautiful moment of writing.

Any truth to the crazy rumor that you end up pregnant with his twins? [Laughs] Oh really? I haven’t the faintest idea. I have not heard anything to that affect. I don’t know that Cuddy should be wandering around the hospital carrying twins.

‘House’ The long awaited Huddy kiss

Tonight’s episode of House rehashed story lines that were far more interesting during season 3, when Tritter was around to add some suspense to it all and force him to do what he didn’t really want to do.

Before I go into my rant, here’s the POTW: she’s a ballerina who gets dropped by her boyfriend (a male ballet dancer) who has a weak back and a shrill attitude.Then her lungs collapse and they inexplicably can’t get them back up again. However, they do manage to make 80% of her skin fall off, so there’s that. Also, they stop her heart for an MRI, which shows a shadow. Or an artifact on the monitor. In the end game, it’s gonorrhea on her heart – which is discovered by Taub, who also uses a long shot treatment to save her hands and feet from amputation. I know I usually give a bit more info about the POTW and how the case is solved…but honestly? This was a minor part of the show.

OK, I can wait no loner. My rant: is it me, or has this season just been weak sauce for the most part? Sure, there’s been some shinning moments, but overall? I’m feeling pretty disappointed, which hurts me to say as I have been a long time fan of House and have never missed an episode. I own all the DVD sets and a couple t-shirts as well. I’m not a moderate fan by any stretch. But tonight was…boring. It felt like the plot was phoned in 40 minutes into the episode. And it was a plot we’d already seen. The short of it is that House is hallucinating because he needs to detox from the Vicodin. Yet, even when he slips up and admits to Wilson that he’s hallucinating Amber – it’s barely a blip on the radar. Not even Wilson tries to analyze what that means or why House lied to him about it.

Rehab is the last thing House wants to try, really. In fact, he tests for infection, MS and severe mental illness before accepting it’s the drugs. The big dramatic gesture is sending himself into insulin shock – which was a treatment used mainly in the 1940’s – in order to determine if it really is psychosis. And Amber does disappear for a few hours, but that’s hardly a realistic lifestyle option. So, he concludes that it’s the Vicodin. I cannot ignore that in order for House to believe that his hallucination is caused by the drug, despite the lack of any other symptoms, he would also need to believe the convulsive therapies had a 100% success rate – or near enough to it. And there is no way that would happen.

House asks Wilson to make arrangements for him to go to rehab. However, partway through packing, he admits that he will cheat (as he did last time) and therefore decides not to go at all. Instead, he returns to the hospital, admits everything to Cuddy and asks her to help him detox. Which can apparently be accomplished overnight. Certainly, medical fallacy has been pointed on on the show before, but one night of sweating, spasming and vomiting does not get you clean enough from an opioid addiction to go back to work the next day.

Of course, he and Cuddy don’t actually go back to work. Yes, the moment millions of Huddy fans have been waiting for arrived: he totally pushed her against a wall and made out with her before end credits. And it wasHOT. The implication – backed up by the previews for next week – is that they totally get it on. But given that I didn’t totally buy House’s decision to detox with just Cuddy helping him – with him revealing all his secret stashes and holding her hand all night – I have difficulty believing that they bonded so much over the night-o-detox that they can’t keep their hands off each other the next day. It just didn’t pack enough umph! for me.

The side story is Cameron’s revelation to Chase the she still has her dead husband’s forzen sperm. This plot line completely confuses me, because I don’t really understand what she wants. Chase says it’s a liquid pre-nup in case things don’t work out for them, but I am having difficulty wrapping my head around that. Because it makes no sense. She doesn’t want kids now but she wants his sperm in case she does want them later but they are divorced? How many men’s sperm does she need for her back up plan? There is also the idea that Chase would ask her to ditch the frozen sperm, which Foreman warns could make him worse than the guy that left her as it would make him the guy that killed her theoretical kids. But again, this makes no sense – why does it matter that she has sperm on ice if she isn’t planning on using it anytime soon, if at all?

In the end, Chase says he can’t do it, because he is sure that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her and he will wait for her to be sure too. Did I miss something? Can someone explain any of this to me? Are they not getting married now? And on Huddy – do you buy it? Would you rather Amber have been the result of mini strokes or brain tumors rather than his pill popping? Is anyone else as disappointed as me or are my expectations too high?

Week of April 27, 2009:

Question: Would you please do a House-only AA? Look, I’ll even get it started: What is this “important decision” that House “struggles” with? House isn’t crazy… so what would cause him, (if anything), to go into apsych ward? Ausiello: House-only AA? What a brilliant idea! And just to clarify, I never said House was for sure checking into a cuckoo’s nest. I was merely making an assumption after connecting a few dots. But if it turns out that he is headed to the funny farm, I would imagine an extreme case of insomnia might be behind it. And I do mean extreme: Poor guy hasn’t slept a wink since Kutner died.

Question: I haven’t been able to find any spoilers for tonight’s House. Do you know anything? Ausiello: I know the ep focuses on Chase’s bachelor party, but Fox’s promo already gave that away. What the promo didn’t reveal, however, is the identity of the person throwing the little shindig: House himself!

Question: Anything worth sharing on House? Ausiello: A major character will suffer a life-threatening medical emergency tonight. Hint: A clue about what triggers it can be found in last week’s 30 Rock. Guesses? Head to the comments!

Question: Is Chase’s bachelor party part of House’s hallucination? Ausiello: No. House also doesn’t imagine ordering Foreman and Thirteen to go to a strip club to pick out the evening’s, ahem, entertainment.

Question: I’m a little shocked to see Wilson at Chase’s bachelor party in this promo. How’d that happen? Ausiello: Let’s just say House arranged it so that he had no other choice. Source:The Ausiello Files

Question: How long ’til House starts banging his hallucination? Ausiello: Sit down, relax, and flash back to Jan. 26. It was on that day that I first broke news of the forthcoming plot involving Anne Dudek’s dead doc. It was also on that day that exec producer David Shore went on the record as saying, “It would never be a dead ghost sex love triangle thing like on [Grey’s].” Fellow e.p. Katie Jacobs added: “I think that would make a large [number] of people switch off their TVs. I think if we tried that, heads would roll.” And that concludes our trip down memory lane. Source:The Ausiello Files

Question: A lot of Huddy fans fear that the House-Cuddy sex might not happen this season after all. Could you please reassure us? Ausiello: I’ll do you one better. For the first time, I will run the actual transcript of the interview we did with David Shore and Katie Jacobs at House‘s 100th episode party back on Jan. 21. If this doesn’t calm your nerves about the impending Huddy nookie-nookie, nothing will… EW: What’s the latest on House and Cuddy having sex? Katie: We have definitely figured how the act will play out. And true to vibe of the show and the characters and thanks to David Shore’s wonderfully creative twists and turns, it won’t be what you expect. We have to be careful about making moves like that. We do not want to disappoint fans and just do something out of left field.” David: Yes we have figured out the details surrounding Huddy having sex. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for fans of Huddy hoping for a hookup. It definitely won’t be what people expect. We have to do things our way, the House way. We wouldn’t want to have the characters do anything out of character. EW: Just to be clear, the sex will happen by the end of the season? David: Yes. Katie: Yes. Now that we’ve given you that scoop, you have to leave us alone on everything else!Source:The Ausiello Files

‘House’: Will Cameron & Chase actually walk down the wedding aisle?

So, last week we lost Kutner. And this week — if you haven’t seen last night’s episode of “House” you should stop reading now — Cameron and Chase got engaged. For a show that’s supposed to be about medical cases as opposed to the character’s personal lives, there sure is a lot of personal business going down at Princeton Plainsboro lately, no? But I actually like it. And I like how all this stuff is happening in the episodes leading up to the season finale instead of cramming every big reveal into one last hour. Maybe that’s just me. What do you think? Would you like to see Cameron and Chase actually tie the knot? Or do you think the producers put them in this position for the sole purpose of tearing them apart? And do you think this storyline will fold them back into “House”‘s main storylines for the remainder of the season? Or are you still unsatisfied?

‘House’ spoiler alert: ‘Chameron’ twist revealed!

Source:The Ausiello FilesWarning: Stop reading if you haven’t seen last night’s House. Everyone else, onward and downward… As I’ve been teasing for much of the past week, Chase and Cameron broke up on tonight’s House. But as I’ve also been teasing for much of the past week, there was a humdinger of a twist that followed the duo’s split: They quickly got back together and engaged! I know what you’re thinking: Does this mean Jesse Spencer will make good on the promise he made earlier this year to up and quit should the day come when Cam and Chase march down the aisle? What?! You don’t recall him making such a threat? Allow me to copy and paste his exact quote again: “If there is [a very special Chase-Cam wedding episode], I’m out. I’ll walk. I’m freaking done. I think they are wary about getting into too much relationship stuff. It’s a procedural show at its core. That’s why people like it. That’s why I like to watch it.” Hmm… was Spencer just being his usual silly self or does he know something about where the Cam-Chase story is headed that we don’t? Interestingly, Spencer also went on to predict that due to “[exec producer] David Shore’s general disdain for life, you can rest assured that what we won’t be doing next season is getting happy. You won’t see Chase and Cameron making a home and having babies and other greeting card stuff.” Added Jennifer Morrison: “We’ve been happy for way too long for this show. Something is probably coming. I can’t imagine that some happy-go-lucky fairy tale is in store for Chameron. I think [David Shore] will probably find some very unique bizarre way to make us miserable.” Whatever happens next (bachelor party!), I would advise Chameron fans to enjoy their favorite couple’s pre-honeymoon honeymoon period while it lasts. I would also advise them to answer the following Qs in the comments section: Was the episode everything you hoped it would be and more? Do you think their engagement will lead to an actual wedding? Was Cameron being honest about her feelings (or lack thereof) for House?

‘House’ exclusive: The shocking story behind last night’s big death

Here are the six things you need to know up-front about last night’s House:

• Yes, Kutner was the subject of my “suicide” blind item.
• No, his death wasn’t a figment of House’s Vicodin-impaired imagination.
• Yes, Kal Penn has left the show for good.
• No, he wasn’t fired. He asked to go. (And man, wait ’till you find out where he’s going.)
• Yes, this was the “cataclysmic” event that Hugh Laurie has been teasing all year.
• Yes, the trio at the center of this grim turn of events — exec producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs, as well Kal Penn himself — spoke to me exclusively about the surprising story behind Penn’s exit, the decision to have the seemingly well-adjusted Kutner take his own life, and whether the tragedy will drive House-Cuddy and Cameron-Chase closer together or further apart…

Part I: Kal Penn

I understand it was your decision to leave House. True?
KAL PENN: Yes. I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I’m going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They’re basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It’s similar to what I was doing on the campaign.

Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.

Are you there as long as Obama’s in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.

Safe to say you’re taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There’s not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.

How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I’ve been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn’t love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It’s probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in ’06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else. The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There’s not a smarter group of people that I’ve been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie.

What was that conversation like?
PENN: We had a very long discussion. And I remember David saying, “Are you telling me that you’re unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?” And I was like, “Not at all. I’m actually saying the exact opposite, which is I’m having an incredible time, but there’s something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while.” And with their blessing, we were able to work it out.

Are you retiring from acting?
PENN: Not necessarily. Who’s to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won’t be acting.

How did you react when you found out how they were writing Kutner out?
PENN: One of the things I love about our show is you never know what’s going to happen. So that news struck me in the same way we hope it strikes the audience: there was a little bit of anger and some depression. You really go through those emotions, especially when somebody dies in that fashion. Ultimately, it was a really interesting choice for them to make. We don’t really know why he did it, unless it’s resolved in the episodes after [I left], which, of course, I’m not privy to anymore. At least in [last night’s] episode, we don’t really know why he did it. There’s no note. There’s no explanation. And as a testament to David and Katie, that’s a huge risk. ‘Cause it is going to make people upset, and it is going to piss off some of the audience. And, ultimately, in my opinion, that’s what art really is — when you can conjure up those kinds of emotions. And it’s rare nowadays to be able to do that on network television, but they managed to.

Were you disappointed that you didn’t get to shoot the requisite good-bye scenes with your co-stars?
PENN: From my selfish perspective, you want one last scene with Hugh, you want one awesome bantering scene with Peter, you want something where you and Olivia [Wilde] are doing a diagnostic together. But I had known a couple weeks beforehand [that Kutner would just abruptly commit suicide], so I was conscious in previous episodes of, ‘Okay, this is probably the last time I’m going to get to do a scene with Peter, and this is the last time I’m going to be on screen with Robert.’ And, of course, we’re all still really close friends, so I’ve seen them a ton of times since I stopped shooting.

What were your emotions like on your last day?
PENN: It’s always emotional when something incredible comes to an end. The feeling would have been very different if I was not enjoying myself, and if I didn’t love the job. But because I loved the job and the character and the people I’m working with, I think bittersweet is the probably the best way to describe it. The contrast of knowing that I want to move on and do something completely different, with the incredibly violent and incredibly depressing thing that happens to my character… I think bittersweet is the only way to describe it.

That’s the buzz.
PENN: See, I didn’t even know that. If that’s the case, yeah, it’s a bummer to not be involved in an episode like that. It’s the emotional stuff that really gets the characters riled up, so if that’s actually happening, it would be neat to see. [Pauses] Well, not see. To be part of scenes like that. [Laughs]

Part II: David Shore and Katie Jacobs

When did you first learn Kal was thinking of leaving House?
DAVID SHORE: It was very early in the process that he told us that he might [at some point] want to move on and work in politics. He has been involved in a number of other things [while working on House]. He worked very extensively for the Obama campaign and he’s been teaching at Penn. Kal is a man with broader ambitions than the entertainment industry. So he spoke to us and said, ‘I love the show and I love working with these people, but there are things that I would like to do.’ And you sort of think, ‘That’s admirable, but there’s no way he’s going to do it.’ This is a good gig he’s got here.KATIE JACOBS: As time went on, it was still on his mind. And then we took a writers retreat right at the beginning of December and David sort of had this “A-ha” moment about how to both free Kal up to pursue other things and, most importantly, service where David wants to go at the end of the season with House’s story.SHORE: The fact that it happened over a long period of time allowed him to pursue his goals as a human being, but also allowed us to make it work within the confines of the show.

So why not just have Kutner take a new job at a different hospital?
SHORE: The suicide was essential to [the story]. The lack of reason behind it — the lack of answers — was what I responded to and is what I got excited about. House, the man of answers, doesn’t have an answer about this guy who he has worked with for two years.JACOBS: And he didn’t see it coming. It gets under his skin. He is the man who can’t rest until the puzzle is solved. So the idea that he worked in such close proximity to Kutner and didn’t see it coming [was an interesting story to us].SHORE: It makes him question the most important aspect of himself, which is the ability to find answers. It’s the one thing about himself that he feels good about.

If anyone on House’s team was going to kill him or herself, the likelier candidate would have been Taub (Peter Jacobson). Were you intentionally setting up a bait and switch?
SHORE: A little bit. But also, oddly enough, we wanted it to be a character who didn’t make sense — or didn’t superficially make sense. Obviously, there are reasons, but the notion that the reasons are too complicated for even House to figure out is what was drawing us to it. I like the fact that Kutner is almost the least likely guy to do this. And it gets down to the issue of, “Do we know anybody? You work with somebody for two years, but do you really know them?”

There’s an opening on House’s team now. Will Chase or Cameron fill it?
SHORE: No, there’s a different Chase-Cameron storyline coming up. We touch on it, but that’s not really where we go with it.JACOBS: There’s fallout in every part of the hospital because of this. This will affect everybody.

Are you planning to fill the position?SHORE: Not initially. It’s not going to happen this year.

There are rumors that Chase and Cameron may be getting married. Care to comment?
SHORE: No. But [Kutner’s death] does affect them as a couple. When somebody close to you dies under any circumstances, you take stock of your life and you want to go home and hug somebody. We worked hard to let everyone react [to the tragedy] in a different way.

Does it bring Cuddy and House closer together?
SHORE: The way House reacts ultimately brings House and Cuddy closer.

Any more cast changes looming this season?
JACOBS: This is the only one you’ll see this season.

Okay, Ausholes: Take a few minutes to absorb everything you’ve read before… alright, minute’s up — react away in the comments section! Oh, and be sure to check out the eleborate memorial shrine Fox has erected in Kutner’s honor.

Are we going to find out more about the Kutner suicide on House? Could it have been murder? What’s coming up?
Nope. It’s definitely not a murder. The show’s executive producer Katie Jacobs tells us, “It was a suicide.” Period. Executive producer David Chase adds, “Everybody’s going to be impacted. We are going to see, perhaps surprisingly, Cameron and Chase’s reactions to it. We’re going to see more of that. We are going to bring Cameron and Chase to the forefront a little bit.” But, of course, the greatest impact will be on Dr. House. “He’s the one who has the least ability to cope with it, and as a result, it has the greatest impact on him,” adds David. Source: Kristin on E!OnlineYou’ll definitely be seeing Amber this season, the only question is when. A teaser Fox just sent out for the April 27 episode: “House’s lack of sleep starts to play tricks on his mind, but he finds insomnia may be a gift instead of a burden.” (Michael Ausiello)

The twist that follows Cameron and Chase’s forthcoming breakup involves a piece of luggage belonging to Chase. And contrary to speculation, he’s not being deported. (Michael Ausiello)

Finale guest star Carl Reiner (Ocean’s Eleven) was spotted on the set, along with a half-dressed male stripper running out of the clinic dressed as a pirate. (Watch With Kristin)

Preview of ‘House M.D.’ 5.21: The Aftermath of Kutner’s Death

The crew have to deal with their colleague’s shocking death but life goes on in ‘House M.D.’.

The “House M.D.” episode that FOX have described as “beyond words” turned out to be the death of Dr. Lawrence Kutner through a self-inflicted gun shot wound. The death of Kutner, which is commemorated in an online memorial brought an aftermath to the rest of the team which brings them closer. Also in the episode which is called “Saviors”, Cameron postpones her vacation with Chase in order to ask House to accept the case of an environmental radical who collapsed at a protest with unexplainable symptoms. Although suspicious of her motives, House agrees. Since she pushed him to take the case so emphatically, House forces Cameron to take the lead and run many of the tests on the patient. Meanwhile, House is unsure of Wilson’s new healthy diet. “Saviors” airs April 13.

House: Does Cuddy Have Competition in Cameron?

We all need somebody to lean on! With Kutner’s (Kal Penn) untimely suicide, Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) has taken it upon herself to be that somebody, but she’s finding herself easily drawn to one member of the team in particular, and it’s not Chase. Ruh-roh. Instead, Cameron is saddling up to Dr. House (Hugh Laurie), offering her help and support, but no one, including her boyfriend, Chase, is thrilled with her behavior. Even Cuddy is acting suspicious and maybe even a wee bit jealous.

Well beyond the immediate aftermath, Kutner’s shocking suicide will have lasting repercussions for House, the remainder of his team, and others in the brilliant doc’s orbit. But who will be affected, and how? In a conference call with reporters, House creator David Shore, executive producer Katie Jacobs and Kutner’s portrayer, Kal Penn, answered burning questions about the latest episode of Fox’s hit drama.

Was Kal Penn — who asked off the show to take a job with the White House — taken aback by Kutner’s suicide?
“Everyone is always taken aback with every episode of our show,” Penn told TVGuide.com. “But obviously yeah, you’re connected to the character you play … so there was more than a little bit of shock and loss when I found out. I was probably as shocked as the audience.”

Were other exit storylines batted around?
“We considered many ways to have [Kutner] leave,” says David Shore. “Ultimately, this was the story that allowed us to really have the greatest impact on everybody, House in particular.”

Who will be most affected by Kutner’s death?
“The greatest impact is ultimately with House,” previews Katie Jacobs, “because he’s unable to rest with the idea that he did not see it coming and cannot explain it… . He has no resources, no family [to help him cope].”

Might this twist somehow lead to more screen time for the somewhat MIA Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer?
In a word, yes. In addition to seeing House’s team, Cuddy and Wilson reel from the death, “We are going to see, perhaps surprisingly, Chase and Cameron’s reaction to it. [We] are going to bring [them] to the forefront a little bit.” Says Shore, “We will see some fallout with Chase and Cameron in an interesting way. [They] do not have a unified reaction.”

Will Kutner be replaced on House’s team?
Not any time soon. As Shore stresses, “Kutner is irreplaceable.”

Was House onto anything, suspecting as he did that Kutner was instead murdered?
Nope — it was definitely a suicide. Anyone searching for clues suggesting otherwise is, like House, “looking for more answers where there may not be more answers,” says Shore.

Was that Penn playing dead when Foreman and Thirteen discovered Kutner’s body?
Yes. Penn says the director “wanted it to be as authentic as possible, so that [Omar Epps and Olivia Wilde] were fully in that moment.”

Was Penn creeped out to have “his” death memorialized on Fox.com?
“Not really,” he says. “When I heard that it was going to happen, the first thing I said was, ‘Don’t put any of my real family photos on the website.’ It’s very, very clear that it is a Lawrence Kutner memorial page.”

Is Katie Jacobs at all regretting her vote for president, now that Penn is leaving House for the White House?
“It may be the only reason why I didn’t want Obama to be the candidate,” she says with a laugh. “I was in a state of denial. I was just trying to avoid the reality that we would have to face this moment.”

And if Penn was leaving the show for any other reason…?
Jokes Shore, “If he had come to us and said, ‘I’ve been offered a great part on CSI,’ then yeah we would have [killed Kutner via] autoerotic asphyxiation or something like that. But we were thrilled for Kal.”

‘House’ The suicide of Kutner

Tonight, House really did deliver the unexpected. So much so that I don’t even know how to write it about, because it just seemed out of the blue. Which was rather the point, I suppose, because the whole team is at a loss for how to react.

And just like his colleagues, I am stunned and thinking about his behavior over the last season and wondering if there were signs that I missed. I can’t recall any indications that he was depressed enough to want to take his own life. And that makes it hard to concentrate on the POTW – or, rather, the Patients of the Week. It’s a couple (the man played by Meatloaf – so MPOTW) who start out with him dying of heart failure until Charlotte (henceforth, FPOTW) gets sicker and he gets better. Taub thinks their love is rallying his recovery and House thinks Taub is an idiot. And it does seem out of character for Taub, but given what his own relationship is going through, maybe grasping at romantic straws is starting to feel natural.

House spends most of the episode looking for someone to blame for Kutner’s death – going so far as to assign guilt to his adoptive parents for letting him change his last name and become even further disconnected with his personal heritage. 13 refuses to feel guilty for not knowing something was troubling Kutner and Foreman takes a day off to grieve alone. Tuab, however, out-Houses House, by stating that suicide isn’t always a cry for help and some people just want to die. He also insinuates that he feels pity for Kutner but thinks that his permanent solution was idiotic.

House just thinks the POTWs are idiotic, because FPOTW is faking her illness so MPOTW will hold on longer. Which insinuates that House believes such things are feasible. However, she can’t fake the sudden bruising or the disappearing muscle that arises, so the team gets back to work. Mostly without House, who turns his attention back to the loss of Kutner by going to his apartment, where he decides it wasn’t suicide but murder. He develops a few theories, looking at the man in prison for killing Kutner’s parents as someone with a motive, but Wilson thinks he’s avoiding dealing with the fact that he may have missed something in Kutner beforehand. And therefore, be in danger of losing his gift to catch the things no one else sees.

Meanwhile, FPOTW attempts to kill herself so MPOTW can get her heart. Instead, she survives but destroys her liver. So MPOTW decides that he wants to give her his liver, which will mean he dies on the operating table despite the fact that Cameron figured out he was misdiagnosed and his ailment is totally treatable. This means that MPOTW would do anything for love….even that. House entertains the idea while 13 refuses to commit murder and Taub announces MPOTW’s plan to FPOTW, knowing she will refuse the organ and make the whole debate moot. FPOTW still wants MPOTW to get her heart but the team still wants to diagnose her.

The Epiphany comes when House, in a fit of frustration, decides that they’ve missed something in the differential, or else they are idiots. 13 goes back to the basics by naming the things that could cause the newest infection and when she mentioned places, House recalls an earlier conversation. He marches to the POTW’s room and instead of his usual song and dance, confronts FPOTW about her trip to Rio, which the MPOTW did not accompany her on because it was a dirty little secret. The infection was from sandflies that occur in Rio, not Hawaii – but the diagnosis comes too late. She flatlines as MPOTW kisses her hand.

The ending montage is one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen House pull off. The team attends the funeral except for Taub, who attends to the patients until FPOTW dies – when he finally breaks down sobbing. Meanwhile, House scours Kutner’s apartment for any explanation for his suicide, stopping only to stare at a photo where Kutner’s face is turned away from the camera, suggesting an inner life that couldn’t be captured in any objective sense. Not even by those he spent the most time with. With Foreteen only reconnecting with each other at the Hindi services and Taub finally feeling a sympathetic emotion, House is the only one whose issues feel completely unresolved.

How did you react to the loss of Kutner? Personally, I thought out of all the cottages v2, Kutner was the only one that I would want anything to do with. He seemed to have interests outside the hospital while the rest only seem to exist in the two dimensional world of their workplace. Without Kutner’s interjections of geek-centric humor what are we left with? 13’s snottiness, Foreman’s arrogance and Taub’s indifference. How do you think this will change the series? Did the peek of next week make it seem like Cameron is going to be coming back on the team?

‘House’ exclusive: The shocking story behind last night’s big death

Here are the six things you need to know up-front about last night’s House:

• Yes, Kutner was the subject of my “suicide” blind item.
• No, his death wasn’t a figment of House’s Vicodin-impaired imagination.
• Yes, Kal Penn has left the show for good.
• No, he wasn’t fired. He asked to go. (And man, wait ’till you find out where he’s going.)
• Yes, this was the “cataclysmic” event that Hugh Laurie has been teasing all year.
• Yes, the trio at the center of this grim turn of events — exec producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs, as well Kal Penn himself — spoke to me exclusively about the surprising story behind Penn’s exit, the decision to have the seemingly well-adjusted Kutner take his own life, and whether the tragedy will drive House-Cuddy and Cameron-Chase closer together or further apart…

Part I: Kal Penn

I understand it was your decision to leave House. True?
KAL PENN: Yes. I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I’m going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They’re basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It’s similar to what I was doing on the campaign.

Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.

Are you there as long as Obama’s in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.

Safe to say you’re taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There’s not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.

How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I’ve been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn’t love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It’s probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in ’06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else. The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There’s not a smarter group of people that I’ve been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie.

What was that conversation like?
PENN: We had a very long discussion. And I remember David saying, “Are you telling me that you’re unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?” And I was like, “Not at all. I’m actually saying the exact opposite, which is I’m having an incredible time, but there’s something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while.” And with their blessing, we were able to work it out.

Are you retiring from acting?
PENN: Not necessarily. Who’s to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won’t be acting.

How did you react when you found out how they were writing Kutner out?
PENN: One of the things I love about our show is you never know what’s going to happen. So that news struck me in the same way we hope it strikes the audience: there was a little bit of anger and some depression. You really go through those emotions, especially when somebody dies in that fashion. Ultimately, it was a really interesting choice for them to make. We don’t really know why he did it, unless it’s resolved in the episodes after [I left], which, of course, I’m not privy to anymore. At least in [last night’s] episode, we don’t really know why he did it. There’s no note. There’s no explanation. And as a testament to David and Katie, that’s a huge risk. ‘Cause it is going to make people upset, and it is going to piss off some of the audience. And, ultimately, in my opinion, that’s what art really is — when you can conjure up those kinds of emotions. And it’s rare nowadays to be able to do that on network television, but they managed to.

Were you disappointed that you didn’t get to shoot the requisite good-bye scenes with your co-stars?
PENN: From my selfish perspective, you want one last scene with Hugh, you want one awesome bantering scene with Peter, you want something where you and Olivia [Wilde] are doing a diagnostic together. But I had known a couple weeks beforehand [that Kutner would just abruptly commit suicide], so I was conscious in previous episodes of, ‘Okay, this is probably the last time I’m going to get to do a scene with Peter, and this is the last time I’m going to be on screen with Robert.’ And, of course, we’re all still really close friends, so I’ve seen them a ton of times since I stopped shooting.

What were your emotions like on your last day?
PENN: It’s always emotional when something incredible comes to an end. The feeling would have been very different if I was not enjoying myself, and if I didn’t love the job. But because I loved the job and the character and the people I’m working with, I think bittersweet is the probably the best way to describe it. The contrast of knowing that I want to move on and do something completely different, with the incredibly violent and incredibly depressing thing that happens to my character… I think bittersweet is the only way to describe it.

That’s the buzz.
PENN: See, I didn’t even know that. If that’s the case, yeah, it’s a bummer to not be involved in an episode like that. It’s the emotional stuff that really gets the characters riled up, so if that’s actually happening, it would be neat to see. [Pauses] Well, not see. To be part of scenes like that. [Laughs]

Part II: David Shore and Katie Jacobs

When did you first learn Kal was thinking of leaving House?
DAVID SHORE: It was very early in the process that he told us that he might [at some point] want to move on and work in politics. He has been involved in a number of other things [while working on House]. He worked very extensively for the Obama campaign and he’s been teaching at Penn. Kal is a man with broader ambitions than the entertainment industry. So he spoke to us and said, ‘I love the show and I love working with these people, but there are things that I would like to do.’ And you sort of think, ‘That’s admirable, but there’s no way he’s going to do it.’ This is a good gig he’s got here.KATIE JACOBS: As time went on, it was still on his mind. And then we took a writers retreat right at the beginning of December and David sort of had this “A-ha” moment about how to both free Kal up to pursue other things and, most importantly, service where David wants to go at the end of the season with House’s story.SHORE: The fact that it happened over a long period of time allowed him to pursue his goals as a human being, but also allowed us to make it work within the confines of the show.

So why not just have Kutner take a new job at a different hospital?
SHORE: The suicide was essential to [the story]. The lack of reason behind it — the lack of answers — was what I responded to and is what I got excited about. House, the man of answers, doesn’t have an answer about this guy who he has worked with for two years.JACOBS: And he didn’t see it coming. It gets under his skin. He is the man who can’t rest until the puzzle is solved. So the idea that he worked in such close proximity to Kutner and didn’t see it coming [was an interesting story to us].SHORE: It makes him question the most important aspect of himself, which is the ability to find answers. It’s the one thing about himself that he feels good about.

If anyone on House’s team was going to kill him or herself, the likelier candidate would have been Taub (Peter Jacobson). Were you intentionally setting up a bait and switch?
SHORE: A little bit. But also, oddly enough, we wanted it to be a character who didn’t make sense — or didn’t superficially make sense. Obviously, there are reasons, but the notion that the reasons are too complicated for even House to figure out is what was drawing us to it. I like the fact that Kutner is almost the least likely guy to do this. And it gets down to the issue of, “Do we know anybody? You work with somebody for two years, but do you really know them?”

There’s an opening on House’s team now. Will Chase or Cameron fill it?
SHORE: No, there’s a different Chase-Cameron storyline coming up. We touch on it, but that’s not really where we go with it.JACOBS: There’s fallout in every part of the hospital because of this. This will affect everybody.

Are you planning to fill the position?SHORE: Not initially. It’s not going to happen this year.

There are rumors that Chase and Cameron may be getting married. Care to comment?
SHORE: No. But [Kutner’s death] does affect them as a couple. When somebody close to you dies under any circumstances, you take stock of your life and you want to go home and hug somebody. We worked hard to let everyone react [to the tragedy] in a different way.

Does it bring Cuddy and House closer together?
SHORE: The way House reacts ultimately brings House and Cuddy closer.

Any more cast changes looming this season?
JACOBS: This is the only one you’ll see this season.

Okay, Ausholes: Take a few minutes to absorb everything you’ve read before… alright, minute’s up — react away in the comments section! Oh, and be sure to check out the eleborate memorial shrine Fox has erected in Kutner’s honor.

Thanks for the intel on the House and Cuddy hookup! Any more scoop on the season finale? Yup, our House source spotted finale guest star Carl Reiner (Ocean’s Eleven) on the set, along with a half-dressed male stripper running out of the clinic dressed as a pirate. Either Cuddy is getting twice the action in one day, or House has a crazy patient on his hands. Source: Kristin on E!Online

Spoiler alert! Dr. Gregory House has bad manners. OK, so that’s not a spoiler—it’s a known fact—but in the season finale of Fox’s House, we’ll learn that his latest transgression against tact and civility is kissing and telling! Yep, House got himself some S-E-X (or so he claims), and he’s not shy about discussing it. What was the hookup, and what does he blab? Find out what our set sources tell us exclusively… According to sources, in an upcoming episode, our man House (Hugh Laurie) stands near the front entrance of Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital and declares (loudly) to everyone in earshot that he’s slept with Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein)! Yep, the cad announces to everyone at work he’s hooking up with his boss! Now, he could be lying, and he’s definitely being a bastard. But still, after five years of shameless flirting, it seems that Huddy have finally sealed the deal! Pretty exciting, yes? Are you stoked that House and Cuddy are finally doing it? Post in the comments! Source: Kristin on E!Online

Is it true that someone is leaving House at the end of the season?If so, I’d love to know who, or at least get a few hints. MATT: Yeah, a lot of people have been playing catch-up ever since Katie Jacobs told me (back in January) that House’s team will be down a person come season’s end. Jacobs also said that the events of the finale, like last year’s, will have a profound impact on House himself…. In light of recent death/suicide rumors — I can foresee a future where the increasingly put-upon Taub takes his own life, right in House’s office. Hmm, might that make Dr. Nasty’s demeanor less mean? Source: TV Guide Online

Next Monday’s episode (Locked In, March 30) has Mos Def playing a patient with locked-in syndrome, which means he’s paralyzed and can only communicate by blinking, but he understands everything going on around him. The ep is told from the perspective of his character’s thoughts. (Watch With Kristin)

Hugh Laurie took a break from his day job on the hit series House and got animated in the box-office hit Monsters vs. Aliens.

After revealing the details of his stint as a mad scientist cockroach in the animated family film, the actor discusses the possibility of a death at the end of this season of House — and what fans can expect from Dr. House.

Q: How did you get that demented mad scientist laugh down?
A: I don’t really practice that. I just do that when the mood takes me. It’s a little bit unpleasant for people I work with.

Q: In this role, they’d probably just step on you.
A: But that’s not good enough. I will survive a stepping. They are pretty much indestructible. They can survive for three, four months. I’ve researched cockroaches, by the way.

Q: I can tell.
A: I don’t just walk in and play a role, I do my homework. Three or four months without food and a couple of months without water, extremes of temperature, extremes of everything, extremes of stepping on. The great thing about doing this is it was such an escape. I got to spend a day in a completely different world that had nothing to do with House. That was a wonderful thing, I mean I love doing House, don’t get me wrong. I love the people I work with, they are a fantastic bunch, but, every now and then a change is not a bad thing.

Q: The Internet rumors on House are kind of crazy.
A: I’ve heard.

Q: Wherever you go now, you hear that someone is going to die at the end of the season.
A: Yes, but on every show. There are people dying on every show. Yeah, death is all around us.

Q: I know you’re not going to reveal who is going to die…
A: Can’t. If I could reveal it to anybody, I would reveal it to you. But I can’t.

Q: But I need to know one thing, was it something House said?
A: I’ve even got to be careful how I answer that because that is possibly true. One of the pieces of self-examination that House has to go through is the part that he played in this…event. Let me put it that way. I can go no further. But you’re right, there is something in that. I can tell you that it’s quite something. The last six shows are very, very ambitious, and we are going out on a limb here. House has problems of his own. And they’re big problems.

Major House Death Is Coming

My question is about the death on House. I was wondering if it’s the same “suicide in a major show” that your competition Ausiello just told us about? As House himself would tell you, “Correlation does not imply causation.” We have never and will never collude with our frenemies on a story. We may post a story at the same time as another outlet, but that does not necessarily mean it’s about the same show or situation. Well, sometimes it isn’t, and sometimes it is, but don’t ever take it for granted either way.

Joseph Viles/FOX, Timothy White/FO

A main character will die this season. This is the news I’m now hearing from reliable sources on House, that one of the castmembers will be written out before the current season ends. And trust me, it will shock the pants off of you. (Assuming you wear pants.) So who will it be? Obviously, we can’t come right out and report who will die because that would spoil a major plot point that will serve as the climax of the season. And honestly, it is far too good to spoil!

However, I can tell you:

It’s not the most likely candidate—not by a long shot.

It’s not someone who has been rumored to be leaving.

It is someone who will shock you.

How it happens will take you completely by surprise.

There is no lead-up to this death, it just…happens.

As House bossKatie Jacobs told E!Online recently: “I think our cast will look pretty much the same next season.” The emphasis there is on pretty much, and it’s my understanding that it will be just one castmember to leave. Everyone else will be back in the fall. Now you know what comes next, right? You all get to do your best sleuthing to figure out which character is getting killed off…then keep watching House on Fox on Monday nights to see how totally wrong you are.

Thanks for the intel on the House and Cuddy hookup! Any more scoop on the season finale? Yup, our House source spotted finale guest star Carl Reiner (Ocean’s Eleven) on the set, along with a half-dressed male stripper running out of the clinic dressed as a pirate. Either Cuddy is getting twice the action in one day, or House has a crazy patient on his hands. Source: Kristin on E!Online

Spoiler alert! Dr. Gregory House has bad manners. OK, so that’s not a spoiler—it’s a known fact—but in the season finale of Fox’s House, we’ll learn that his latest transgression against tact and civility is kissing and telling! Yep, House got himself some S-E-X (or so he claims), and he’s not shy about discussing it. What was the hookup, and what does he blab? Find out what our set sources tell us exclusively… According to sources, in an upcoming episode, our man House (Hugh Laurie) stands near the front entrance of Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital and declares (loudly) to everyone in earshot that he’s slept with Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein)! Yep, the cad announces to everyone at work he’s hooking up with his boss! Now, he could be lying, and he’s definitely being a bastard. But still, after five years of shameless flirting, it seems that Huddy have finally sealed the deal! Pretty exciting, yes? Are you stoked that House and Cuddy are finally doing it? Post in the comments! Source: Kristin on E!Online

Is it true that someone is leaving House at the end of the season?If so, I’d love to know who, or at least get a few hints. MATT: Yeah, a lot of people have been playing catch-up ever since Katie Jacobs told me (back in January) that House’s team will be down a person come season’s end. Jacobs also said that the events of the finale, like last year’s, will have a profound impact on House himself…. In light of recent death/suicide rumors — I can foresee a future where the increasingly put-upon Taub takes his own life, right in House’s office. Hmm, might that make Dr. Nasty’s demeanor less mean? Source: TV Guide Online

House news!

In case you missed it last week, you should know that House executive producer Katie Jacobs didn’t deny that more Huddy sex is on the way and confirmed that House and Cuddy are going to smooch onscreen, right in front of us! “You will see them kiss one more time before the end of the season.” Hells yeah. Source: Kristin on E!Online

As you no doubt surmised from my last two Ask Ausiellos, I recently chatted with House exec producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs. But it’s probably time I stopped parceling out sound bites here and there and just ran the entire transcript — if for no other reason than to watch the two of them squirm around such topics as Amber’s return, House’s descent into madness, and who’s hanging up his/her scrubs this season.

AUSIELLO: There’s an episode coming up where we learn House traveled to New York under mysterious circumstances. Does that trip tie into the upcoming emotional crisis House will be going through?
DAVID SHORE: It is tied into that. There’s certainly a thru-line within the episode about what he was doing there. I can say we’re certainly exploring House and we’re going a little deeper.KATIE JACOBS: There’s an accumulation of events — some of which would not normally bother him and some of which would bother him — that are conspiring to make him struggle even more than we’ve seen him struggle before.

How does Cuddy figure into this?
SHORE: It’s very complicated, but Cuddy does figure into it.JACOBS: She cares about him.SHORE: They’re both troubled people. And they both make mistakes. It’s not as simple as she’s this thing and if he could only reach out and grab it everything would be okay.

How will Cameron and Chase be re-integrated into the show in the final four episodes?
SHORE: We’ve got some really cool stuff coming up, and unfortunately, I can’t even give you little hints at it. It’s a set of dominos: I knock one over, they all fall over.

What are your plans for Foreman and Thirteen as the season winds down?
SHORE: There are obstacles, but it’s not a huge storyline coming up.JACOBS: They’re not breaking up in the immediate future. But it’s not as much about that relationship or Cameron and Chase or Cuddy and House… it’s about a family of people who work together, and if something changes in the dynamic of that family, how will they all react as individuals and as family members?

Any romance on the horizon for Wilson?
SHORE: We do hint at something.

Can you confirm that Anne Dudek will be back as Amber?
(Crickets)SHORE: Katie?
(Crickets)JACOBS: (Pauses) No, I can’t.

Last question: Any cast changes as we head into next fall?
SHORE: You’ll pretty much see the same cast as last year.

It’s official: House and Cuddy will do the deed

by Michael Ausiello

Huddy fans, prepare to plotz.

At last night’s 100th episode party for House (held at West Hollywood celeb magnet STK), executive producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs finally revealed what has long been hinted at but never officially confirmed: House and Cuddy will have sex this season.

“Yes, we have figured out the details surrounding Huddy having sex,” declared Shore, adding that the duo will seal the deal before the end of the season. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel for fans of Huddy hoping for a hookup. It definitely won’t be what people expect. We have to do things our way, the House way. We wouldn’t want to have the characters do anything out of character.”

Adds Jacobs: “We have to be careful about making moves like this. We do not want to disappoint the fans and just do something out of left field.”

Word of the impending Huddy romp took leading man (and romp participant) Hugh Laurie off guard. I think. (You never really know with Laurie.) “Really? They told you that? They haven’t told me that. Do you suppose either one of them were ever going to tell me that? Was I just going to come in one day and read that in a script and be given no preparation time? Now I’m nervous. And I have to start doing some push-ups or sit-ups. Did they tell you how much of me will be shown? What areas do I need to work on? Now I am really glad I didn’t eat that 100-episode cake.”

After taking a moment to digest the news, Laurie conceded that the development was a long time coming. “I think it will be a lot of fun,” he said. “These two characters, for all their bickering, obviously take such pleasure in each other’s company. They are two loners and there is a sort of comfort that they give to each other. This could be very sweet and touching, and, then I am sure, because I know David and how his sick mind works, it will all go pear-shaped.”

Lisa Edelstein also admitted to being in the dark about the Huddy hookup — although, c’mon, the seed was rather publicly planted (by me!) last week. “I did not know they were going do it for sure,” she confessed. “I always figured someday it was inevitable but I had not heard that yet.”

Echoing Laurie’s sentiments, Edelstein expressed confidence that the dicey plot would be handled with great care. “I don’t think there will be any shark jumping because it is still David Shore running the place,” she said. “If David got fired and someone else took over the show and put a sex scene in, I might be worried. But because it is David at the reins, I think it will be well thought out and planned and have a point.

“It won’t work out anyway,” she added with a laugh. “It isn’t like they’d would move in together and raise Cuddy’s new baby and have a wedding and a house in Connecticut. It will end in disaster. It may be really fun for a brief period of time, but then it will all come crumbling down. David is clearly not comfortable with positivity and happy endings.”

Okay, Huddy fans, I want to hear from you: Are you relishing your hard-fought victory? Or is this a case of be careful what you wish for? Sound off below! (Reporting by Carrie Bell)

Are we going to see more Huddy when House returns?Lisa Edelstein tells me, “When we come back, there is a lot of House-Cuddy stuff going on.” Word! Still, don’t expect it to be all happy times: Cuddy will definitely have her hands full with her new bundle of joy. “I think the things that a baby brings are things you can’t necessarily prepare for, so she’s got some difficulties coming up,” she adds. And some time off. Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) will take over Princeton-Plainsboro while Cuddy goes on a little maternity leave. — Source: Kristin on E!Online

Can you please give me scoop on House? I’m dying to know what is going to happens between Thirteen and Foreman after the hiatus.
Ausiello: Trouble in paradise. When Foreman discovers that Thirteen was given a placebo in the Huntington’s clinical trial, he switches her to the real drug behind her back. The truth eventually comes out on Feb. 2 and all hell breaks lose. In the same episode, Cuddy turns the tables on House and tortures him for a change. If you’re a Huddy fan, the episode is like a gift from the TV Gods. Source: Ausiello Files – EW

As happy as I am that Cuddy got her Christmas miracle baby, I still want to see some Huddy love. Please tell me that this baby doesn’t mean the end for my favorite TV couple.
This baby doesn’t mean the end for your favorite TV couple, but the next episode has minimal Huddy, since both of them spend most of the episode at their respective houses: Cuddy’s preparing for a social worker who’s checking on the baby’s welfare, and House is dealing with a plumbing problem. That’s not a euphemism though. The man’s got problems with his pipes!

Adam Taylor/FOX

Any dish on Foreteen? They’re really growing on me.The final scene of the next episode is Foreteen-centric, and it will knock you back on your heels. After you gasp, you’ll spend the rest of the night tying yourself into ethical knots. It’s a very nicely developed plot twist, and it adds a layer to Foreteen that gets them up to Sixteen or Seventeen at least! Let’s just say that Foreman has to make a choice that will either jeopardize his career or her life/health, so it ain’t sweet and simple.

Christmas has come early for Cameron fans.

The latest episode of Ausiello TV features an exclusive, first look at a scene from House‘s Jan. 19 episode that marks a major (and long overdue) shift for Jennifer Morrison’s criminally sidelined character: She’s getting Cuddy’s job! [Michael Ausiello]

In the promo for next episode, the bathroom Cuddy is in is House’s bathroom. [Michael Ausiello]

Things will get worse before they get better. Let’s just say Cuddy’s maternal instincts don’t kick in immediately, and it freaks her out a little. [Michael Ausiello]

I am so sick of all the mushy stuff on House. Please tell me the character hookups take a back seat to the diagnoses in the new year. I can’t handle it anymore.
Mmmm…sorry, can’t make any promises like that. Just talked to executive producer Katie Jacobs and she told me, “Our weekly medical mysteries are the meat and potatoes—and I say that because I love meat and potatoes—but it’s fun to break those conventions and get a little more personal.” So can I offer you a nice, well-balanced meal with meat and potatoes and candy-coated Cuddy on the side? — Source: Kristin on E!Online

The POTW: The POTW was previously the “happiest, sweetest little girl” who became a “secretive stranger” once she hit puberty and may or may not have attempted to kill herself because she’s over weight and teenagers are little snot-nosed cretins who look for any reason to pick on other kids in order to increase their own self esteem or perhaps to distract themselves away from the fact that their lives are destined for misery marked only by pathetic recollections of their “golden years” between the ages of 14 and 18. What?

In addition to having done some narcotics dabbling and perhaps some heavy drinking, the POTW volunteered at a soup kitchen and had some strange relationship with one of her school torturers, who brings her homework, used to sell her vodka, and was her “secret boyfriend” because he wouldn’t be seen with her in public, but she gave it up and he was into that. Her symptoms range from seizures to a damaged heart and liver, and as the team tries to figure out what’s wrong with her, they go from tuberculosis, to leukemia and consider various transplants before Cuddy gets the epiphany this week and realizes the POTW has eclampsia.

Toxemia of pregnancy, which means the happy and sweet little girl should have been told about condoms. The show looks to end on a double bummer, since the POTW says the baby came early, wasn’t breathing, and so she left it in an abandoned building by the soup kitchen. In addition to that, she’s going to die herself. However, when the girls expresses remorse over having never buried the baby combines with Cuddy’s baby obsession, the head of the hospital goes to the abandoned building to find the body. And, of course, finds that there are squatters in the building who found the baby and have been caring for it themselves. She brings it back to the POTW, who seems grateful and mature despite being a 16 year old with just a couple days to live…..